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Red & White Muscadine Information

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Red and White Muscadine

Muscadines are sometimes thought of as American wild grapes, the native species Vitis rotundifolia which grows only in the hot, humid southern United States. Unlike most other grape species, muscadines are highly resistant to most fungal, bacterial, and insect infections requiring very little if any chemical spray applications making them a naturally organic fruit.

Muscadines seem almost a distant cousin of what most people believe to be a grape.   The thick skins and numerous seeds can frustrate the modern grape eater who is spoiled by thin-skinned, seedless grapes!  Hundreds of cultivars have been registered in three colors: black, bronze and red.     

It was a popular grape used to make wine during prohibition since anyone in the south could walk into the forests and river bottom land and find them easily.  Today, Muscadine are grown in modern vineyards yet still growing wildly and harvested August through September.  Muscadines have a fruity, delicate aroma and taste.   Muscadines are used for a variety of food products: wine, fresh fruit, jams, jellies, pies, and nutritional supplements.

Only recently have studies been conducted to determine the level of resveratrol in Muscadines.  Resveratrol is a compound produced by many plant species and is thought to be an antioxidant helpful in reducing serum lipids and may have favorable cardiovascular implications.    It comes mostly from the skin of the grape, and is usually believed to be more concentrated in red wines since they are fermented with the skin.  However, because of the uniqueness of white Muscadines, we ferment the crushed fruit the same as the red grapes instead of pressing at crush which is the traditional method for white grapes.   This gives the white wine equal skin contact allowing the resveratrol to dissolve into the juice. 

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Last modified: 06/24/07