Norton (Cynthiana)

Today we're drinking wine from a grape born and bred in the United States. Clearly a hybrid, nobody thus far has figured out what it's a hybrid of, but genetic tests have found it be partially vitis vinifera (the species most well-known wines are made from) and vitis aestivalis [sic]. It's a quite popular grape in places that, well, are just not known as popular grape-growing regions. Some of those regions, however, are producing some very interesting wines, including Norton, that are of high quality in their own right, but just don't taste the same or exhibit the same flavors as we would get from the Old World vineyards of Europe.

In the 19th century, Norton and wines made from Norton were very popular in the eastern and midwestern states, particularly Missouri and Ohio. What happened? Prohibition happened. Not being able to produce wine for broad consumption, farmers pulled up their Norton vines and planted Concord grapes and you heard it here first, wine made from Concord grapes is just plain bad.

Why is Norton so popular in areas ranging from north Georgia in the south to Virginia to New Jersey in mid-Atlantic to the Ohio and Missouri Valleys? It has everything that some of the "great" grapes of the world don't have. It's tremendously disease resistant -- no rot, no mildew, no phylloxera. And, it can tolerate deep freezes in winter, hot, humid summers, and lots of rain during growing season. Take that Cabernet!

To see a description of Norton wines, you might think you were getting something more famous. Very purple in color, as is the grape itself, you get a dry, medium- to full-bodied wine that is fairly tannic, of moderate acidity, and tends to be pretty high in alcohol. The notes are dark -- black currants, black pepper, black cherry, dark chocolate, and perhaps some celery or dill in particularly wet growing seasons.

It's an American wine, so when you pair it, think American food. Pair it with a juicy burger and fries, BBQ baby back ribs, or blackened catfish.





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