GRAPE CLASSIFICATIONS

For the purpose of wine making you can classify grapes into three distinct groups:

Native Wild Grapes (Vitis Muscadinia): These are grapes such as Muscadine (Scuppernong), Fox and Frost grape. They are extremely sharp tasting due to their high acid content and have a strong assertive to pungent flavor and aroma. They are also lower in sugar than other grapes. This class of grape can be distinguished from others by the fact they do not grow in clusters, but rather, as separate berries.
Native Wine Grapes (Vitis Lambrusca): These are grapes such as Concord, Catawba, Niagara and Delaware. They are indigenous to the North American continent. While their flavor and aroma are not excessive like that of the wild grapes, their acidity level can be a little on the high side making the juice slightly too sharp tasting. Their sugar level is also much higher than that of wild grapes.
European Wine Grapes (Vitis Vinifera): These are grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Chardonnay and many others that were brought over from Europe. Hybrid grapes such as Reliance, Foch, Chambourcin and Vignoles are also considered to be in this group. Only on occasion are these grapes too sharp or acidic in flavor and their sugar content is generally higher than that of native wine grapes and much higher than that of wild grapes.