Let’s Be Honest About Labrusca Wines

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5 Responses

  1. Nicely put, Denise! I’m getting a bit tired of each side beating up on the other, and very much agree with your description of both the product categories in question and your open-minded approach to all wines. Cheers!

  2. Thank you, Anna Katharine! I’m all with you on this endless battle. 🙂 Cheers!

  3. Dean Scott says:

    Tang is considered orange juice but still isn’t the same as fresh squeezed Florida orange juice.
    So in my mind a sweet Labrusca wine is just not the same as an age worthy Vitis Vinifera wine.

  4. Gerald Podraza says:

    Denise,
    The debate goes on, quality of sweet wines, not just the Labrusca, Concord but all. There is a legitimate concern about how close to excellent a sweet wine can be; and they can be nuanced.

    More importantly, are you aware of the early grape industry located in Illinois, Nauvoo. After the Mormons departed, Germans began growing grapes and producing wine about 1846.
    White Catawba grapes were planted and later Concord. A French Cult arrived soon after and they began wine production..

  5. Denise Gardner says:

    Yes, labrusca wines are not the same as Vitis vinifera wines, and that was the point of my article. That doesn’t mean that both share equal recognition in the market. There can be good labrusca wines and there can be bad ones. There can be good vinifera wines and their can be bad ones. But if someone is hooked on labrusca style wines, you may not be able to get them to “grow into” vinifera wines. Should the wine industry not address the labrusca-consumer wants? I say no – why would the industry eliminate consumers from their market potential? I think we should have something for them and good quality vinifera or hybrid wines for those that enjoy those styles of wine. If the wine is good – period – then wine drinkers will notice.