The red grape variety originates from the USA. Synonyms are Bacchus (but there is no relation to this German new variety), Clinton Rose, Klinton, Plant des Carmes, Plant Pouzin, Red Kilianer or Kilianer Rot, Klinton, Vorthington, Worthington and Zephirin. It is a presumably natural interspecific cross between the species Vitis riparia x Vitis labrusca. The hybrid was discovered and selected in 1821 in a vineyard in the eponymous town of Clinton near Syracuse in New York State by student Hugh White. It was a crossing partner in the new varieties Autuchon, Brant, Canada, Cornucopia and Quassaic. Five open-pollinated seedlings of Clinton are the varieties Bacchus Black, Blaue von Selbach, Golden Clinton, Peabody and Vialla.
The early-maturing, frost-hardy vine is extremely resistant to phylloxera, as well as vine diseases in general. It produces dark-coloured, acidic red wines with a subtle foxy. The variety is also used as table grape as well as a rootstock. Towards the end of the 19th century, the vine was cultivated in northern Italy and in Italian-speaking Switzerland after the phylloxera disaster. Here it is cultivated under the names Strawberry, Fragola or Uva Americano on 0.3 hectares in the canton Graubünden and used for simple consumer wines called Americano and Fragolino. The variety is also widespread in the northeastern USA and is also grown in Brazil, but no stock recorded in 2016 (Kym Anderson).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
