Every wine shop customer learning to appreciate wine has encountered the noticeable price difference between Old World wine from countries in Europe and New World wines made elsewhere. Have you ever stopped to consider why? Is it all just clever marketing and snob appeal, or are Old World European wines just that much better? It is time to question everything you know about the price of wine.
Explore the history, artistry, value proposition, and price behind Old World and New World wines and decide for yourself.
Ten Things to Know About Old World and New World Wine That Effect Quality and Price:
10) What Defines Old World and New World Wine?
The labels “Old World” and “New World” are the Eurocentric names used to describe the Age of Exploration when Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 15th century set off to discover new routes to India and colonize the continents of North and South America –– collectively called the “New World.” And, as it turns out the perfect choice of words to preserve the sanctity of European wine.
How can it be called the “New World” when there were native people already living there? The same can be said for native American wine grapes.
One detail rarely mentioned about New World wines is they are made almost exclusively from Old World European grape varieties. How can this be when there are more species of native grapevines found in North America than anywhere else in the world? Except for a kosher wine made from Concord grapes and a few notable American-European hybrids, you rarely find wines made from native grapes at your local wine shop ––not even the organic ones.
The United States, Argentina, and Chile are at the top of the list of colonized regions that produce New World wines ––distinguished by their unique climates, soils, and early adoption of modern winemaking science and innovation. But not for their native grapes. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (all colonized) comprise the rest of the major New World wine producers.
The fact is winemaking is deeply rooted in continental Europe and winemakers around the world have remained in lockstep down to the choice of Old World grapes.
So, why are there so few native grape wines? There are several factors, including the challenge of domestication and classification, the notorious pest-ridden native American grapevines that wreaked havoc on the European wine industry in the mid-19th century, the lesser-known native grape wine industry boom that occurred in the United States around the same time, and the final death knell of Prohibition that ended the once-thriving industry leaving little trace.
New World wines made from native American grapes still do exist. Unbeknownst to most wine consumers, native American grapevines play a critical role in European winemaking, ––just not for taste. Understanding the shadowy nature of native grape wines helps to explain the total dominance of wine grapes and winemaking from Europe, the large price gaps between Old World and New World wines, and why very few native grape wines are found in your local wine shop.
9) Birth of the Original Wine Grape: From God and Man
The natural evolution of the style of grapes used in winemaking began well before modern humans inhabited the planet.
Old World and New World grapes are both sub-species of the original Vitaceae family, the fruit-bearing wild vines that existed on the supercontinent of Pangea before it broke apart 60 million years ago. Each sub-species of fruit-bearing vines has evolved naturally over time in the range of environmental conditions where they are found.
The domestication event that produced the wine grape species (Vitis vinifera) is reported to have first occurred naturally in the Southern Caucasus region, in and around the countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. This period lasted millions of years with grapevines crossbreeding naturally in the wild producing thousands of new vine species.
The Old World European Vitis vinifera varietals we know today as wine grapes have been crossbred by humans throughout Eurasia for thousands of years with a select number of exulted varieties found at your local wine shop.
The Best Macro-Climates For Wine Grape Cultivation Around the World
The best wine-producing vineyards are located almost exclusively between thirty and fifty degrees north and south of the equator. This makes continental Europe one of the largest and most suitable climates for cultivation, though climate change is having a direct impact. Vineyards from these regions have been passed down from generation to generation, with the age of the vines, verifiable provenance, and subtle complexities attracting those willing to pay top dollar.
Wine grape cultivars generally prefer a relatively long growing season of 100 days or more with warm daytime temperatures not reaching above 95°F/35 °C) and on cool nights not below 40°F/23 °C or more.
8) How Winemaking Spread Across the Globe
The origins of winemaking pre-dates Old-World Europe by more than four thousand years.
Mesopotamia
From the very beginning, the evolution of the Vitus vinifera species of grape has been directly connected to the birth of wine and the history of winemaking itself, with the first written record found on ancient cuneiform tablets from the Middle East.
The Sumerian civilization is the oldest known to mankind, credited with inventing the first writing system, the wheel, numbers, and measurements, including time itself. The earliest written record of wine appears in the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh from the 3rd century BCE in Mesopotamia where the young female tavern-keeper, Ku-Buba, rises to become king.
“Beside the sea, she lives,
the woman of the vine, the maker of wine;
Siduri sits in the garden at the edge of the sea…
But now
young woman, maker of wine…”
Ancient Egyptians
Numerous hieroglyphics and reliefs from the Old Kingdom Period (2575–2150 BC) depict wine as a drink reserved for those of high status, including high priests and pharaohs entering the afterlife. Red wine symbolized the rebirth of the dead, with the art of winemaking linked with the blood of Osiris, the God of resurrection, along with his grapevine symbol.
The evidence of Egyptian winemaking includes the seeds of vinifera found in the mummified remains of Egyptian pharaohs, as well as inscriptions found on jars in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
The mysterious powers of fermentation that transform grape juice into wine are how ancient Egyptians connected wine to the spiritual realm, according to archeologists.
The knowledge of winemaking was passed from the Greeks who studied in ancient Egypt ––to the Phoenicians, Romans, and the rest of Europe. In France, it is believed winemaking was first introduced by the Phoenicians into the former Greek colony now known as Marseille in the 600s BCE.
Biblical Noah’s Vineyard
The most famous depiction of the invention of wine in the Book of Genesis is when Noah plants the vineyard after the Great Flood. Unfortunately, Noah’s over-indulgence led to the genealogical persecution and chattel from his Curse of Ham. For. many centuries, winemaking was sustained almost exclusively by religious orders and practicing alchemists throughout Europe.
Greek and Roman Wine Gods
In Greco-Roman mythology, the God of Wine is known as Bacchus in Roman mythology and Dionysus in Greek mythology. Bacchus is also referred to as Liber Pater, the God of fertility, who is associated with freedom. Wine is believed to free the mind from worries which is why Bacchus is considered a symbol of freedom. Liber Pater is also the name of the most expensive wine in the world.
7) How the First Domesticated European Wine Grapevine Self-Identified as a "They"?
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry. All grapes belong to the genus Vitis (vines) and are in effect weeds with separate male and female genders that need each other to pollinate. In contrast, domesticated grapevines are known as “perfect” ––meaning “they” are hermaphroditic containing both male and female structures enabling it to self-pollinate (or fertilize itself).
The Original Wine Grape Species
Old European varieties descend from one original species ––Vitis vinifera. The original wine grape is native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia and forms the basis for Old-World winemaking practiced worldwide. It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 different Vitis vinifera grape varieties but only a select few are considered suitable for winemaking.
New varieties of European wine grapes are created artificially by crossing two or more Vitis vinifera varieties, hybridizing them into a new variety. This inbreeding can also cause genetic abnormalities that further lower resistance to disease and pestilence. The reason why reconstituting European vines with more resilient native American vines is vitally important.
Despite this fact, attempts to maintain un-hybridized European grape lineage are sacrosanct to traditional Old World winemaking. The practice adds value and is deeply rooted in the history and culture of their respective European regions and countries.
6) Why Only a Handful of European Wine Grapes Are Considered "Noble Grapes"
European grape-keepers and the heresy of native grape wines
Among the great number of varieties of vinifera wine grapes, only a handful are identified as “noble grapes” and are mostly from France. These select Vitis vinifera species of grapes from the Near East and Europe with thin skins, sweet tender flesh, delicate flavors, and high sugar content are deemed the most suitable for producing well-balanced wine. They are also the most popular and easiest to sell:
Cabernet Sauvignon of Bordeaux, Merlot, and Pinot Noir of Burgundy are among the reds; the Riesling of the German Rhine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay of Champagne and Burgundy among the whites; the Semillon of Sauternes for sweet wine.
There are many other excellent honorable mentions, but only a select few vinifera vines have been identified and recognized as optimal for producing superior wines in the regions to which they are adapted.
Winemaking expertise has a major role to play and the common wisdom that there is nobility among grapes has its critics. A caste system that keeps grapes in their place effectively stifles creativity and competition. Disregarding the unfamiliar (out of ignorance) is akin to calling the lands where native people already existed the “New World”.
Not surprisingly, native grape wines remain an unwanted stepchild ––with New World wines made from Old World grapes most often the only option on the shelf.
Grapes used for quality wine production must start whole and healthy without disease or defects. The only grapes fit to survive in North America naturally originate from native soil. Without the science and innovation that made it possible to cultivate Old World vines in the Americas, (imported European wines were the only option). Historically speaking, the limited competition has suited European winemakers just fine.
Europe has far more interest in producing wine grapes that are less sweet with more acidity, ––that is the nature of Old World European wine. In contrast, American grape growers and consumers have become accustomed to grapes sweet enough to eat, ––and perfect for making other foodstuffs like jelly and jam. With the sweeter taste profile of native grapes, American grape growers have become increasingly less interested in native wine-grape cultivation. But that doesn’t mean American winemakers stopped trying.
Prohibition may have been the nail in the coffin, but questions persist on whether it was America’s historic craving for sweets or the resolve of the European wine industry to eliminate the threat posed by American native grapes winemakers. The presumption is that in comparison to Old World European wines, American native grape wines lack sophistication.
The legacy of Native Americans eating grapes for food certainly had something to do with it. Native Americans have no history of winemaking, but if they did the taste of native grape wine may have been nurtured to a greater degree.
In European countries that produce Old World wines, a wine grape’s destiny as a source for winemaking is obvious and meant for no other purpose. Table grapes are a secondary crop. On the other hand, the abundance of native North American grape varieties (with their bold flavors and unique tastes) has been the genesis for America’s shift in passion from cultivating native grapes for winemaking to eating them in food.
Today, native grapes are a staple crop of America’s fresh fruit industry. With few exceptions, native grapes have almost completely separated from their role as the mother of American winemaking.
5) Wine Tasting 101: Who Are You Going to Believe, A Wine Experts Or Your Lying Tastebuds
Don’t be disheartened by your lack of experience or wine sophistication, if you want to learn the art of wine appreciation you need to start somewhere. Traditional wine tastings can be fun.
Wine tasting is an ancient practice that can be traced back to the history of wine itself, with the phrase wine “tasting” first used in 1519. But it was the 18th century when the formal methodology of wine tasting took shape, when the scholars, Linnaeus and Poncelet, updated our understanding of the practice.
The essential characteristics that define wine:
— sweetness, acidity, tannin, body, and alcohol by volume (ABV)
Sweetness: A dry wine will not be sweet at all.
Fruity: Various types of wines have different levels of fruitiness. For instance, fruity red wines can have strong flavors of raspberry, blackberry, or blueberry. While white wines typically contain citrusy notes such as lemon and lime, or fruity notes such as peach. Some wines may also have slightly higher levels of residual sugar and viscosity.
The characteristics of Old World and New World wines below are typical but not always the rule:
Old-world wines tend to be more acidic, a result of cooler climates regions that reduce the available ripening time to produce more sweetness. They also tend to have more minerality and be less alcoholic.
Acidity: Wines with high acidity taste tart, while low-acidity wines taste richer. Choose less acidic wine for a richer flavor.
Tannins: Tannin is the element in wine that adds texture, complexity, and balance. Tannins are phenolic compounds present in the skins of grapes. When tannins are naturally present in the winemaking process (or added through aging), the wine often has a more bitter taste. The red winemaking process incorporates more tannins, giving some red wines a distinctively dry and bitter finish.
Body: The body of the wine is determined by a combination of factors, including the residual sugar and the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV). Wine with high alcohol concentration will have a fuller taste than those with low concentration. If the taste lingers in your mouth for 30-40 seconds, it is considered full-bodied.
Alcohol: The higher the alcohol percentage in your glass, the more it will warm your throat and the back of your mouth. Most wines contain 11 to 13 percent alcohol but can go as low as 5.5 percent up to 20 percent.
New World Wines made from Old World grapes are known for their fruitiness, a characteristic that comes with a warmer climate that produces more ripened grapes. They often contain less tannins (that promote acidity and aging) and more alcohol.
It is a common belief that newer grapevines produce less complex wines, and the vineyards of North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are newer. On the flip side, wines produced in New World regions are often more approachable. They are fruitier, and more expressive, appealing to American palates.
Appreciating a “good wine” can feel highly subjective. Knowing how to choose the right one means considering all these factors, starting with the description on the label. For formal or informal (do-it-yourself wine tastings), a wine aroma wheel helps identify and describe the various tastes and smells. Keep one handy to up the learning curve.
Native grape wines are a world away from your traditional New World wine made from Old World grapes. The grapes native to the United States have a distinct fruity and floral aroma, unlike vinifera grapes. Early settlers often described some native grapes as having an “animal den” aroma. The reason why native grapes are often referred to as “foxy” in character.
Only a handful of native varietals are produced these days, inspired by the lost history of winemaking in America. The once-popular Scuppernong grapes refer to the white or bronze varieties of muscadine grapes dating back to the late 1700s.
From the very beginning, the colonists were in the business of developing commerce and industries that could compete with their European rivals. The joint stock companies that colonized America (The Virginia Company of London, the Massachusetts Bay Company, and the Dutch West India Company) all recognized the potential for developing a homegrown American wine industry. Without the burden of taxes and the malignancy of free slave labor, success must have felt guaranteed.
The New World wine made from native grapes debuted in the first summer of settlement in 1630. Grapes were an important crop for native Americans for both food and medicine and the colonists’ first attempts at making wine were developed from their wisdom. Some tribes offered cooperation, while others did not. It was not a fair trade. Europeans brought deadly diseases that decimated Native populations, and in the struggle to control land and resources, conflict was inevitable.
Grape varietals introduced by native Americans (Vitis Labrusca, Vitis Aestivalis, and Vitis Rotundifolia) are still used in native grape winemaking.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke is where you can still find the mother of all vines, where the excitement around winemaking got its start. Estimated to be 400 years old, the muscadine species of grapevine located on the infamous North Carolina island is believed to be the oldest continuous domesticated grapevine in North America.
No one knows the exact details around this vine because the first settlers on Roanoke vanished without a trace. No bodies were ever found, and the only clue was the word “Croatan” scratched into a tree. Evidence suggests that the local Croatan Indian tribe may have had something to do with their disappearance.
Hostile natives were just one of many challenges New World winemakers encountered when it came to cultivating Old World varietals or domesticating wild ones. In eastern North America, black rot disease, pestilence, and harsh weather conditions all played a part.
Colonists soon realized that it would take more than an endless supply of native wild grapes to surpass Europe as the leading wine producer. Industrial winemaking became public policy. European settlers with viticultural expertise were courted and granted large tracts of land on favorable terms.
From north to south, the colonial winemaking experience was characterized by repeated failures and persistent hope surrounded by an endless supply of flourishing wild grapes to tinker with.
In 1772, French Huguenots from wine-producing regions in France were sent at the expense of King Charles II to to establish the now-defunct town of New Bordeaux in South Carolina.
4) Winemaking in Colonial America Got its Start with New World Native Grapes
American winemakers never stopped trying. After the Revolution, the eastern colonial settlements continued to experiment with native grapes.
The American winemakers, including the Founding Fathers, tried their hand at winemaking. Virginia’s hot summers, frigid winters, and grapevine’s susceptibility to phylloxera and other diseases were all major concerns.
Thomas Jefferson tried his hand at making wine believing that it was good for both health and the enjoyment of dining. Jefferson, George Washington, Peyton Randolph, and George Mason were among the thirty-seven original subscribers to America’s first wine company, The Virginia Wine Co.
In 1785, Thomas Jefferson moved to Paris to begin his role as America’s Minister to France. During his time in this role, he spent three months touring the country to promote American trade interests. Jefferson’s interest in wine led him to visit some of the best European wine regions in France and Northern Italy, including Burgundy, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Beaujolais, Piedmont, and Bordeaux.
“Wine being among the earliest luxuries in which we indulge ourselves, it is desirable that it should be made here and we have every soil, aspect and climate of the best wine countries.”– Thomas Jefferson
For nearly 30 years, Jefferson planted French, German, and Italian vines at his home of Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia. Unfortunately, Jefferson never successfully produced wine because all his vines died every year. The freezing temperatures in the winter, the American Revolution, and phylloxera were all to blame.
e
The original Old World wine grape species (Vitis vinifera) didn’t grow on the East Coast until hybrid grapes were formed. In the western regions where the Spanish conquistadors had settled it was a different story.
In the dry, hot, stony soils of the Southwest and California, European grapevines were better suited to the more Mediterranean-style climate and grew readily without suffering the same afflictions of weather, disease, and insects that devastated winemaking in eastern North America. And there was no trade or exchange of information between the two Spanish and English rivals.
3) The Earliest and Most Successful Winemakers in the Americas Were From Spain
Spanish colonial rule on the west side of North America
In the seventeenth century, the oldest tradition of winemaking was established in the New World by the Spanish. It all began when Hernán Cortés, the first Spanish explorer, and his army arrived in Mexico in 1522 and planted grape vines almost immediately in the sparsely populated regions of the Southwest.
What was known as the Mission grape – aptly named after Spanish missionaries – was the first European variety to be successfully cultivated in the Americas with detailed accounts of its cultivation from Chile and Argentina to New Mexico and California. This high-yielding, drought-resistant varietal was then brought to California in 1767 by Spanish Priests from Mexico, where they established their chain of missions from San Diego to Sonoma, completing their settlements in 1833.
Thick-skinned, drought-resistant, and high-yielding, the pale-colored Mission grape produces both red and white wines that range in character from dry to sweet, tasting somewhere between a Pinot Noir or Gamay, and made in a variety of styles, from sparkling to fortified –– including the sweet high-alcohol wine known as Angelica.
Despite its hearty versatility, the Mission Grape would eventually fall out of favor due to its lack of complexity, character, and color. Overshadowed by the planting of 200,000 rooted vines and cuttings of over 300 European varieties by the Hungarian-born Agoston Haraszthy at Buena Vista –– many of them preferable in taste to Mission.
2) Why Are So Few New World Wines Today Made From Native Grapes?
Wines made from native American grapes or hybrid varieties are a category filled with brands you probably never heard of ––except for maybe Manischewitz kosher wine made from Concord grapes.
America’s move toward the sweeter wild grapes preferred by native Americans (with no history of winemaking) certainly had something to do with it.
The New World method of winemaking departs from traditional European vineyard management to adapt to a new set of challenges: The types of soil, climates, insects, animal predators, and diseases are vastly different from most French and European winemaking regions. To have any chance of successful wine production in the eastern United States, a different set of cultivation practices were necessary.
Improvements were made through crossbreeding with European vines, and it led to some happy accidents. But without the systematic cloning of rootstock of the best native grape varietals, few native American wines made it past Prohibition.
With perfection the enemy of good enough, the American wine industry suffered from inadequate marketing from the beginning. Homegrown American winemakers have struggled with the nomenclature for the provenance of native grape varietals. Grapes were often given colloquial names or names of families from the area. Place names, brands, or private names were emphasized, with no mandate for listing the variety or varieties of hybridized grapes. It was difficult to distinguish one native grape wine from the other. A standard for North American wine grapes was neither maintained nor established.
In contrast to the naming (and marketing) of native grape wine varietals, Old World European noble grapes have remained easily discernible and well-established.
Imagine what might have been, however, had the colonists somehow managed to make wine growing with native grapes a staple activity up and down the Atlantic seaboard, and got the branding right from the start? Had American winemaking with native grapes continued deliberately, without the interruption caused by Prohibition, the whole face of winemaking in the United States might have been changed beyond recognition.
The early pioneers of American winemaking and the native grape wine boom of the 1900s are virtually unknown to today’s wine-consuming public. John Adlum and George Fitzhugh in Maryland; John James Dufour in Vevay, Indiana (a settlement on the Ohio River halfway between Cincinnati and Louisville); Nicholas Longworth in Cincinnati; Thomas McCall of Dublin, Georgia; George Gibbs, William Prince, and William Robert Prince of New York; Sidney Weller of North Carolina; and Abraham Geiger, John Davis, and Nicholas Herbemont in South Carolina.
They helped to systemize the art of vine growing and winemaking in America and published their works in pamphlets, journals, and magazines.
New World Science and Innovation
This hybridization between old-world European vines, which lend flavor and winemaking potential, and wild grapes found throughout North America that foster higher yields, weather hardiness, and insect tolerance was an innovation that made traditional winemaking in the eastern United States possible.
Efforts to adapt grape-growing to the environment have produced what is called “pretty grapes” that are easy to grow and do not require fussy maintenance or spraying to prevent fungal disease and insect infestation – a benefit for farmers invested in sustainable and organic agriculture.
Today, the term “heritage” applies to wine grapes that were bred and developed in the United States and recognized as a distinct varietal for one hundred years or longer.
Had the American native grape winemaking industry continued deliberately and unabated (without interruption) it is likely that there would be an entire section devoted to authentic New World wines in your local wine shop.
Today, it appears the American native grape winemaking industry requires a jumpstart of epic proportions, ––beginning with countering the negative perceptions (and European bias) that all native wine grapes lack character and sophistication.
If the blind tasting at The Judgement of Paris in 1976 proved one thing, it was that high-quality New World wine made from Old World grapes could win over the snobbiest of wine experts. For more than a generation, fine wines from California vineyards have rivaled many European wines for both critical acclaim and price.
Perhaps, another blind tasting could do the same for native grapes?
Historically, European winemakers have shared a complex love-hate relationship with native grape vines from the United States. During the exchange of grapevines between the old and new worlds in the mid 19th century a massive ecological disaster occurred. A native American pest hitched a ride to France and Europe where grapevines had no resistance. In 1865, phylloxera reached Europe and destroyed the majority of Old World grape vines.
Nineteenth-century American winemakers discovered that several native vines were naturally resistant to the American insects destroying vineyards across Europe. To save the European winemaking industry, a special method was devised that involved the grafting of Old World European vines with phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks.
While European winemakers welcomed the contributions made by the American native grape wine pioneers to help solve the issue, they showed disdain for their taste profiles and native grape American-made wines altogether. To this day, native wine grapes are dismissed as a ne’er-do-well completely lacking in merit.
The French were certainly aware of the threat posed to their beloved wine industry and the perceived threat to the authenticity of French wines. The love-hate relationship continues to this day, with many French winemakers carefully balancing the use of American vines in the cultivation process with little acknowledgment.
Today, nearly all wine grape vines around the world have been grafted or hybridized with American rootstock. Some phylloxera-free havens still exist, but are rare. If a French or European winemaker can claim that there has been no reconstitution (un-grafted rootstock with native American vines) their price goes through the roof!
1) What Makes Wine More Expensive?
Knowing the backstory increases your level of appreciation and provides insight into the value proposition behind Old World and New World wines. Is this the definitive list? Certainly not. We encourage you to do your research ––starting with what is revealed (or not) on the label. Much depends on the grape varietal, the country of origin, the appellation, and the expertise of the winemaker. It helps to get in the habit of wanting to know more.
The art of winemaking belongs on the level of fine art where masterworks are valued for their reputation, provenance, and re-sell value. So, what determines the price of fine art? As with so many aspects of artistry, beauty is in the mind of the beholder.
The World’s most expensive wine is from Bordeaux. Liber Pater wine has been the most expensive wine since 2015 with a release price of $30,000 per bottle. The winemaker Loïc Pasquet works with ungrafted rootstock to create the experience of what Bordeaux varietals such as Marselan, Tarney Coulant, and Castet tasted like before the phylloxera infestation from America.
The wine industry doesn’t just let anybody into this club. Authenticity is critical. So, where does that leave native grape wines? The answer is nowhere, at least for now. The general public has no familiarity with a category of wine that fell out of favor more than a century ago, with the coup de grâce coming from U.S. Prohibition.
The original European wines made from Vitis vinifera grown on native European soil remain top-shelf. In contrast, New World wines made from Old World grapes still jockey for position ––aided by the infamous blind taste test known as The Judgement of Paris in 1976. Or, what French wine experts called a clever marketing stunt.
Do New World wines made from native American grapes deserve a second look? Of course, why not? But their lack of shelf space serves as an important reminder that your choices are not all your own. To be fair, wine shops are in the business to make money –– it is not their job to question the common wisdom of an entire industry.
We may have committed heresy for even mentioning anything other than Old World varietals, ––but consider this: A large-scale study conducted by Psychologist Prof Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire concluded that most cannot tell the difference between expensive and inexpensive wines.
The real heresy might be Americans’ lack of support for native grape wines, especially now, when choosing Bourbon over Scotch whisky has become second nature.
Further reading:
Saving America’s Indigenous Wine Grapes
https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2013/8/Grapes-A-Brief-History/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/vitis-labrusca
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/scuppernong-wine-north-carolina-mother-vine
https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/the-prince-family-pioneers-of-american-horticulture/
