Life Style / Wine Grapes / Isabella: Moderately cold-resistant American labruscana grape grown on limited acreages in New York state for use as a tablegrape and in varietal and sparkling wine blends. A selected 'bud sport' cultivar is currently grown in California under the name Pierce (has synonym name Royal Isabella). Still grown in cooler regions of Italy and Australia, where it is named Fragola. A selection with the name Albany Surprise is now grown in New Zealand. Also found in eastern Europe under a variety of alias names, (such as Seksarda in Croatia, former province of Yugoslavia and as Izabella in Hungary and Georgia CIS). This historically significant variety has over fifty synonym names (see Geilweilerhof database in the Foreword section above) as a result of its post-phylloxera popularity in the late 19th century. Thought to be derived from a native Vitis Labrusca grape of N. America and an unknown european vinifera probably created by random pollination as a result of the 18th century attempts to establish European vines in the U.S. Reputedly discovered in Dorchester, N. Carolina around 1816 it was promoted by William R. Prince, an influential nursery owner established in Flushing, N.Y, and named after a famous 'southern belle', the wife of Col. George Gibbs. Currently being selectively removed and replaced by varieties that lack the 'grapey/foxy' taste and flavor of this grape although it still has its admirers. Modern winemaking techniques have succeeded in eradicating the agent responsible, resulting in a popular, strawberry/boysenbery-like flavored wine where those techniques are practiced. It is still grown in quantity in Brazil and other fungus prone regions of South America. An example of random hybridization involving only N. American vine species that resulted in a successful wine is the Norton grape..
Search Google for Isabella:
Lifestyle / Wine Grapes / Carter: Has several synonym names, including Mammoth Globe, and was obtained from an Isabella hybrid variety selected seedling. It is one of the parents, the other being Black Hamburg, of several hybrid culti MORE