Grape Facts Brochure - MO

Catawba is an American Vitis labruscana grape that was discovered

by the Catawba River in North Carolina. The 180-day growing season
in southern Missouri allows Catawba to ripen fully and avoid the high
acid levels encountered in other eastern grape growing areas. The
pinkish-blue berries are large and the clusters are medium in size. It
has a “foxy” labrusca character. The vines are hardy and vigorous
with susceptibility to several fungal diseases including black rot
and downy mildew. Catawba ripens late, a couple of weeks after
Concord. Catawba is a pinkish-blue grape that is processed as a
white wine grape. It is not fermented on the skins so rice hulls are
recommended for use in processing due to its “slip skin” characteristic.
It makes a medium-bodied, fruity, labrusca wine that is best made in
a sweeter style. The wine is pink to orange in color.

Cayuga White is a hybrid wine grape released from the New

York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva in 1972. The
clusters and berries are large and cluster thinning is recommended.
The vines are vigorous and moderately winter hardy with susceptibility
to several fungal diseases including black rot, downy mildew, and
anthracnose. Cayuga White should be harvested at about 15 to 17
degrees Brix sugar level in Missouri for the best quality wine. It is
usually picked about two weeks before Concord. It has nice, fruity
(citrus) notes and could be described as “Germanic” (Riesling-like)
in style. It is light bodied and light green in color.

Chambourcin is a French-American hybrid, blue-black wine

grape with beautiful large loose clusters of medium-sized berries.
The vines must be cluster thinned. The vine is low to moderately
vigorous and is not reliably hardy in northern Missouri. Chambourcin
is susceptible to several fungal diseases including powdery mildew
and, to a lesser extent, downy mildew. Chambourcin ripens about
the same time as Concord. It is processed as a red wine grape
and is fermented on the skins. Chambourcin makes a high quality,
full-bodied, dry red wine that is moderately fruity, possibly with some
subdued berry notes. The wine color is medium to dark red.

Chardonel is a high quality white hybrid wine grape released

from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva,
New York in 1996. It is a cross of Chardonnay by Seyval Blanc and
is very similar in flavor to its Chardonnay parent. It is a moderately vigorous and moderately cold hardy vine that is highly productive
and requires cluster thinning to prevent over cropping and to achieve
maximum quality. It has moderate to large-sized clusters of medumsized berries and is somewhat more rot resistant than its Chardonnay
parent. It has been found to be susceptible to the root form of
Phyllloxera and may benefit from grafting to a pest resistant rootstock.

Concord grapes were selected from the wild in the 1840s in

Concord, Massachusetts. This American Vitis labruscana has the
characteristic foxiness associated with labrusca grapes. Concord
has medium-sized clusters of large berries. Uneven ripening of the
berries can be a problem in warm climates. The vines are very winterhardy and vigorous. They are susceptible to powdery mildew and
black rot. Concord ripens in early September in south-central Missouri.
Concord is fermented on the skins, as recommended for red wine
grapes. Since it is fermented on the skins, it does not need rice
hulls in processing even though it is a “slip skin” labrusca type.
Concord is best made into a sweeter style wine that is fruity and
candy-like. To achieve this style, after fermentation on the skins,
it should then be processed as a white wine. Concord is medium in
body and is deep blue-purple in color.

Norton/Cynthiana is an American grape, Vitis aestivalis, which

was found in 1835 near Richmond, Virginia. Sometimes called
Virginia Seedling, it is the premium red wine grape in Missouri. There
is some controversy as to the name. Some call the grape Norton and
others Cynthiana, but most consider both one and the same. The
clusters are small to medium-sized with small blue-black berrries.
Norton is very hardy and extremely vigorous and often must be
trained to a divided canopy training system. It is one of the most
disease resistant grape varieties, with some resistance even to
black rot. Norton is the latest ripening grape in Missouri, about two
to three weeks after Concord. Norton is processed as a red wine
and is fermented on the skins. Norton makes a dry red wine that is
medium in body with some fruity overtones. It is very dark in color.

St. Vincent is a red grape with a large berry size and moderately

sized, loose clusters. It has high vigor and a moderate to high degree
of winter hardiness. The fruit matures late season. It should be
cluster thinned and yield is high. The vine trains well to a cordon
system with spur training. A good spray program is needed to
control diseases. Loose clusters make it less susceptible to bunch
rot. It is typically made into a dry, red wine or used for blending.

Seyval Blanc is a French-American white hybrid grape with

Vidal Blanc is a French-American hybrid grape. It has large clusters

of small to medium-sized berries with small russet dots on them. Vines
should be cluster thinned. The vines are moderately winter hardy and
susceptible to several fungus diseases including powdery mildew
and anthracnose. Vidal Blanc is harvested about a week or two after
Concord. The clusters resist rot and can stay on the vine for a longer
period of time compared to Seyval Blanc. Vidal Blanc is processed
as a white wine grape and is not fermented on the skins. Vidal Blanc
makes a very good white wine with fruity and floral notes. It can be
described as “Germanic” in style and is light green to straw in color.

Vignoles is a white French-American hybrid wine grape cultivar

that is widely grown in the East and Midwest. It produces a variety
of high quality wine styles, including dry, off-dry, and sweet wines
and is frequently used in white wine blends. Vignoles wines boast
an aromatic, floral nose and excellent fruity flavors of stone fruit and
citrus. It enjoys great popularity with Missouri’s wine-buying public
The vines have good cold hardiness and a later bud opening period
than most wine grape cultivars, thus making it less susceptible to
late frost damage. The clusters are small and very tight and are highly
susceptible to bunch rots. It is an earlier ripening cultivar and is
harvested in late August or early September.

Variety as a Percent of
Total Bearing Acres
Missouri 2018

large greenish-yellow clusters and medium-sized berries. Cluster
thinning is necessary to prevent over cropping. The vines are
moderately vigorous and moderately hardy. It is susceptible to
fungal diseases including powdery mildew and bunches are
susceptible to rot. Seyval Blanc ripens about two weeks before
Concord. It is processed as a white wine and is not fermented on the
skins. Seyval Blanc makes a good all-purpose neutral, crisp, white
wine that is light to medium in body. It is light green to straw in color.

Traminette is a late mid-season, high-quality white wine grape

released by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in
Geneva, New York in 1996. It is a cross between Joannes Seyve
23.416 and Gewürztraminer and produces fruit and wine quality
similar to its Gewürztraminer parent. Vines are vigorous, moderately
cold hardy, and have a late bud burst similar to that of Norton and
Vignoles. It is moderately productive and does not require cluster
thinning. It has a high percentage of Vitis vinifera in its background
and grafting to pest-resistant rootstocks is recommended to overcome
potential problems with the root form of Phylloxera. The wines have
floral and fruity aromas with a fruity, somewhat spicy flavor and are
currently growing in popularity in Missouri and the Midwest.

Valvin Muscat is a hybrid wine grape developed in the 1960s and

released from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
in 2006. It is a mid-season white wine grape with moderately small,
compact clusters. The vine exhibits upright growth with moderate
vigor. It is considered moderately cold hardy. The overall level of disease
observed is comparable to other interspecific hybrid grapes, and
typically less than European grapes. Grapes should be harvested
when a full muscat flavor is detected by direct tasting. Valvin Mucat
wine has spicy, floral aromas and is suitable for the production
of highly aromatic varietal wines or for blending purposes.

Mi
ss
o
ur
i
Grape Facts

Vignoles
15.5%

Cabernet Franc
.2%

Catawba
5.6%

Cayuga 3.3%
Chambourcin
11.5%

Vidal Blanc
5.9%
Valvin Muscat
3.0%

Chardonel
7.2%

Traminette
5.0%

Concord
6.6%

St. Vincent
2.9%

Corot Noir
.2%

Seyval
2.5%
Other
12.4%

Noiret
.5%
Norton
17.7%

Missouri Wine & Grape Board
Contact: Jim Anderson, Executive Director
1616 Missouri Boulevard
Jefferson City, MO 65109
(800) 392-9463
www.missouriwine.org
[email protected]
The Grape and Wine Institute
573-882-0621
http://gwi.missouri.edu/
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs
and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability,
political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.)
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,
Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.

December 2019

Bearing Acreage and Yield by
State, 2013-2017

Utilized Production by State
2014-2017 (TONS)

Bearing Acres by Variety - Missouri, Selected Years
Variety

2011

2015

2018

Bearing Acres

% of Total

Bearing Acres

% of Total

Bearing Acres

% of Total

Bearing Acres

% of Total

145.4

8.6

135.4

8

111.3

6.6

96

5.6

Catawba
Cayuga

63.5

3.7

59.1

3.5

71.8

4.2

55.3

3.3

Chambourcin

161.6

10

150.5

8.8

177.7

10.5

195.5

11.5

Chardonel

150.2

8.8

139.8

8.2

66.4

3.9

123

7.2

Concord

146.4

8.6

136.3

8

120.5

7.1

111.9

6.6

Norton

295.3

17.4

275

16.2

351.4

20.7

300.5

17.7

Seyval

23.9

1.4

22.2

1.3

35

2.1

41.8

2.5

St. Vincent

45.7

2.7

42.6

2.5

44.9

2.6

49.2

2.9

Traminette

96.3

5.7

89.7

5.3

114.7

6.7

85.3

5

Vidal Blanc

118.1

6.9

109.9

6.5

139.4

8.2

99.8

5.9

Vignoles

251.7

14.8

234.4

13.8

262.2

15.4

263.1

15.5

NA

NA

216.3

12.7

199.6

11.7

212

12.4

Other Hybrid
Other Vinifera
Total

400
350

Price and Value by State,
2013-2017

2013

NA

NA

89.4

5.3

4.6

0.3

66.6

3.9

1,700

100

1,700

100

1,700

100

1,700

100

Bearing Acres by Variety - Missouri, Selected Years

300
250

Grape Production by Utilization
2014-2017

200

MISSOURI

150

7,000

100

6,000
5,000

50

4,000

2016

2017

2015

2018

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