Traditionally, Georgia’s grape and wine industry has been known for the state’s native muscadine grape. In fact, Georgia leads the nation in its production of these grapes. Georgia’s climate is well suited for growing muscadines, which are traditionally used for making jams, sauces and wine.
How many grape varieties are there in Georgia?
500 unique varieties
Experts estimate that Georgia boasts of over 500 unique varieties of indigenous grapes. Still, the real number could be much higher than that. While many of them are not well-known outside of the region, their flavor is rich and unique thanks to the exceptional climate and geographical conditions of the country.
What kind of grapes grow in the South?
There are dozens of cultivated varieties of Southern grapes, or muscadines. Technically, they’re all muscadines, but I call the purple grapes muscadines and the bronze grapes scuppernongs.
What is Georgia State grape?
Georgia laws in effect January 1: Muscadine becomes official state grape.
Are there wild grapes in Georgia?
The wild variety that grows in Georgia is a purple grape when ripe. Scuppernongs are a greenish/brown variety of muscadine, originally found growing along the Scuppernong River in North Carolina by early European explorers (Giovanni Verrazzano in 1504 and Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585).
Can you make wine in Georgia?
And it is true that Georgia does produce fine muscadine wines. But that’s not what Dahlonega winemakers are growing. The mountain town has experienced a surge in wineries in the past couple of decades, becoming a hot bed for grapes traditionally grown in Europe like Cabernet, Chardonnay and Merlot.
Does Georgia make good wine?
Even beyond the traditional method of winemaking, Georgia’s diverse terroirs and many of its unique and noble grape varieties make this tiny country a place to be reckoned with. Given its history and national character, Georgia will evolve, but it will also remain dynamic and distinctive – just like its best wines.
What are purple muscadines called?
The very dark purple (almost black) muscadines, were dwarfed by much larger greenish-bronze grapes at one end of the arbor. I now know that these grapes are typically referred to as scuppernongs by most locals, and are actually the same species as the dark grapes.
What is the difference between a muscadine and a scuppernong?
The muscadine is actually a native American grape, Vitis rotundifolia, found in the southeastern and south-central U.S., and scuppernongs are a variety of muscadine. In other words, all scuppernongs are muscadines, but not all muscadines are scuppernongs.
How are muscadine grapes different?
Unlike table grapes that ripen simultaneously in a pendulous bunch, muscadines ripen individually in loose clusters. Compared to other grape species, muscadine grapevines may produce almost eight-fold yields of other grapes.
Can I grow Concord grapes in Georgia?
The ‘Concord’ you’ve planted is not really the best variety for Georgia. ‘Fredonia’ is much better; the fruit ripens more evenly. The nearby list gives good bunch grape varieties for the northern half of Georgia.
How many vineyards are there in Georgia?
According to Georgia Wine Producers, the state is now home to 57 licensed wineries, nearly double the number from 10 years ago.
What kind of wine is made with muscadine grapes?
Though Muscadine grapes are red, Muscadine wine comes in many different styles and types. Some of these types of wine include white wine, red wine, and sweet, dessert style-wine. Red, white, and rosé Muscadine are all medium-bodied, with intense fruit flavors such as banana, bruised apple, and cranberries.
Can you grow table grapes in Georgia?
Georgia’s climate is not well-suited to home garden production of European bunch grapes, but American bunch grapes and hybrids between the two species (French hybrids) grow well in Georgia.
Where do muscadine grapes grow?
Muscadines can be grown from the coastal side of New York south to Florida, and west to Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. They can also be grown in parts of New Mexico, Arizona and the coastal sides of California, Oregon and Washington State. Muscadines will grow best in zones 6-10.
Where do you find muscadine grapes?
Look at the foliage of the vine. Leaves are a satin, glossy green and shaped like rounded hearts or triangles measuring between 3 and 5 inches in diameter. Unlike other species of grapes, muscadine leaves reveal no lobes but do develop irregular, coarse, blunt teeth or zig-zagging edges on their leaves.
What wine is Georgia known for?
However, the most well-known region for producing Georgian wine is Kakheti, divided into the two micro-regions of Kvareli and Telavi. Then comes Imereti, Kartli, Svaneti, Adjara, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and Abkhazia.
What kind of wine is in Georgia?
Georgia’s Diversity of Wine Is Its Strength
In this category, producers Marani (Telavi Wine Cellar), Shumi, Tbilvino, Vaziani and Vinoterra offer well-made wines from the Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane, Kisi, and Saperavi grape varieties.
Is Georgia the birthplace of wine?
Georgia is generally considered the ‘cradle of wine’, as archaeologists have traced the world’s first known wine creation back to the people of the South Caucasus in 6,000BC. These early Georgians discovered grape juice could be turned into wine by burying it underground for the winter.
What is the oldest wine in the world?
the Speyer wine bottle
Found in 1867 in the tomb of Roman soldier, the Speyer wine bottle is believed to be the oldest wine in existence. This wine is on display in the Pfalz Historical Museum in Speyer, Germany, where it attracts attention for its age, appearance and overall uniqueness.
Why is Georgian wine Orange?
In Georgia, the seeds, the skin and sometimes the stems are used. It is the polyphenols (molecule that forms in the plants from sugar) contained in the skin that gives to the wine this beautiful colour that intrigues. It may range from a dark yellow to a blood orange colour.
