Concord

The widely adaptable Concord grape was selected from the wild in the 1840s in Concord, Massachusetts. This American Vitis labrusca has the characteristic foxiness associated with labrusca grapes.

Concord has medium size clusters of large berries. Uneven ripening of the berries can be a problem. The vines are very winter hardy and vigorous. They are also quite disease resistant and not attractive to birds, therefore, well-suited to arbors. Concord ripens in late August/early September at Mountain Grove 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.