Delaware

Delaware is a grape variety of American origin, derived from the species Vitis labrusca, known as the "fox grape". It is used both as a table grape and for winemaking, and it is especially valued for its spicy sparkling wines, which have a pale pinkish colour.

History

The exact origin of the Delaware grape is not documented with certainty. It is thought to have appeared in Frenchtown, New Jersey, but it was Abram Thomson, from Delaware, Ohio, who first brought it to public attention in the 1850s. The name is associated with that Ohio town, not with any direct link to the state of Delaware.

Its parentage is also unclear. It is considered an American variety, yet its background is thought to include a significant share of Vitis vinifera, the European vine. This mixture may explain two traits that matter in the vineyard: its vulnerability to fungal disease, especially downy mildew, and its need to be grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks to grow vigorously. T. V. Munson, a leading scholar of American vines, believed it was a hybrid of V. labrusca, V. vinifera and a group of vines called "bourquiniana", which are now thought to be hybrids of Vitis aestivalis. These remain scholarly hypotheses rather than settled facts.

The variety is grown commercially in the northeastern and midwestern United States. It ripens earlier than Concord, another widely planted labrusca in the same region. Over time it also reached the table grape market, and today it is sold in supermarkets in South Korea and Japan, countries where V. labrusca varieties are popular for their fragrance.

Culture

Delaware is a grape with a character of its own within its family. It has a thin, pale pink skin, sweet juicy flesh and small clusters with small berries. Unlike many other labruscas, it lacks the strong "foxy" flavour that gives the species its common name, and its skin separates easily from the fruit, a trait winemakers describe as slip-skin. These qualities make it pleasant to eat fresh and suitable for winemaking.

In the cellar it is used for dry, sweet and icewines, but its reputation rests mainly on its sparkling wines, which are often described as spicy. The colour of the wine ranges from light pink to white. It is grown commercially in the northeastern and midwestern United States, where it forms part of the region's winemaking output.

The grape has also given its name to consumer products. Delaware Punch takes its flavour primarily from this grape, which shows how strongly its aromatic profile has become a reference for American consumers. Outside the United States its most visible presence is fresh fruit sold in supermarkets in South Korea and Japan.

Trivia