By Rachel Brown

When talking about wine, there are several hugely popular varietals that almost everyone knows. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio...

But what about those lesser-known ones? What about the ones that are specific only to certain regions? Here, on the East coast, we’re talking about French-American hybrid grapes. There’s a lot to unpack with these local super stars and they’re worth getting to know. 

First, we need to understand what ‘Vitis vinifera’ grapes are.  

Vitis vinifera translates to ‘the wine bearing grape’. These are the grapes from which almost all others hail. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir. These are native to the Mediterranean region and Central Europe, spanning from Morocco to Portugal to Germany. These grapes are generally not hardy, and can sometimes struggle in super cold environments. 

However, it’s important to note that that is not a ‘one size fits all’ generalization. For example, Burgundy is a semi-continental climate which experiences cooler winters and warm summers. Grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive in that environment and so, transplanted to the East coast, they fair well. 

When we speak about French-American hybrid grapes, we’re talking about grapes like Chambourcin, Niagara, Vignoles, Baco Noir, or Traminette. 

Hybrids were created by splicing Vitis Vinifera grapes with vitis rupestris, vitis lincecumii, and vitis riparia. Most of these grapes were grafted in France, thus resulting the name. For example, Chambourcin originated in the Loire Valley in the 50’s and grows closely alongside Cabernet Franc.  

These grapes are cold hardy with thicker skins and higher disease resistance to pests and weather variations, all the while maintaining the same caliber of flavor and complexity as our standard Vitis Vinifera.  

Those that fell under the hybrid moniker were used to combat the Phylloxera Virus. Phylloxera is a tiny little insect that latches onto plants and feeds off of the roots. Incredibly easy to transmit, many of the European vineyards in the 1800’s were decimated by the louse. By the 1900’s, over 70% of the vines were dead in France. 

While the United States, particularly California, was the cause to this plight, the US was also the solution.  American rootstock is naturally resistant to phylloxera. European winemakers and vineyard managers were looking for ways to control the pest, and so a grafting between rootstocks occurred to keep hundreds of thousands of hectares of vineyards from being destroyed.  

And thus, French-American hybrids were born.  

So, let’s examine some of these grapes: 

• Chambourcin: This is called a ‘teinturier grape’. This means that Chambourcin is not only graced with thick, dark skins but it also has pink flesh inside, which sets it apart from every other grape! These grapes draw tons of color into the glass, often resulting in a purplish-blue hue. They are incredible versatile and can create wines ranging from rosés, light bodied and medium body styles. These grapes exude dark fruit and natural spices. Chambourcin is arguably one of the most important hybrid grapes. Try it alongside wild boar rigatoni or beef stew. 

• Vignoles: One of my favorite grapes, and one we use frequently at Chaddsford Winery, Vignoles is an incredibly aromatic high acid grape that can be done from dry to sweet to Ice Wine. On the dryer side, vignoles showcases everything from peach pit to pineapple. Typically, we see these grapes done in an off-dry or sweet style due to their naturally high sugars. In these styles, Vignoles comes across as papaya, ripe mango and sweet pineapple and can be paired across the board with chicken tacos and a mango salsa to pineapple upside down cake or fresh chips and Guac. 

• Baco Noir: Originally grown in Burdungy and the Loire, this grape produces Rhone style or even Beaujolais style wines with bright fruits and a tart acidity. Herbal qualities can also be associated with the grape, giving it a true French flair. Typically, they’re low in tannin and intense in the glass making them the perfect companions for fresh off the grill entrées or a hearty, homemade lasagna.  

• Traminette: This unique little hybrid comes from a grape called Gewürztraminer. Gewürztraminer is a French grape that harkens from Alsace, France. This is a grape that had a tremendous level or aroma to it and a very light acidity level. With low acid, wines can feel vicious or oily on the palate. In 1965, Cornell University created Traminette. The goal was to create a table wine verion of Gewürztraminer with higher acidity levels. This wine exudes natural spices, mango, lychee and rose water and can be fermented from dry to sweet. Because of the intense aromatics, Traminette can be paired with savory dishes like mushrooms or squash. 

• Niagara: This grape is particularly unique. Harkening from New York, this guy is known as a Labrusca grape! Labrusca grapes are known as ‘slip skin’ grapes, which means that one can pinch a berry and watch the skin slide right off! Grapes falling under this umbrella include Steuben, Catawba and Concord grapes. On the nose, they’re incredibly perfumed or ‘foxy’. This nose is a reflection on the natural sugars in the grape and are incredibly easily to identify in a glass. Typically, we would find Niagara paired alongside cheesecake, vanilla ice cream or baked brie with honey. 

More and more, French-American hybrids are increasing in popularity and rightfully so! While they maintain some of the same textures and similar flavors to a few of our Vinifera favorites, they bring a uniqueness and diversity to the winemaking portfolio!

 If you haven’t gotten your hands on one of these gems yet, what are you waiting for?