One of the approximately 30 American species or wild vines with the full botanical name Vitis vulpina L.. It was first described in 1753 by the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné (1707-1778). The name "vulpina" means "vixen", which refers to the foxtone or strawberry tone. Trivial synonyms are Vixen Grape, Winter Grape or Frost Grape (because of frost hardiness) and Fragrant Grape. A botanical synonym or old name is Vitis cordifolia. Together with the two species Vitis palmata and Vitis monticola it forms the group Cordifoliae. The vine occurs in Canada (Ontario), as well as in many states of the eastern half of the USA. It thrives on riverbanks and floodplains on sandy-gravelly soils in sunny and cool locations and can climb 15 to 20 metres high with its fox-red tendrils.
The clusters of dark blue berries are incredibly loose. The fruits are very acid and only become sweet and edible after exposure to frost. They produce a light red wine with mild tannins, high acidity and a slight foxtone. The winegrowing pioneer Philip Mazzei (1730-1816) was a neighbour of US President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) in Virginia and, like him, conducted experiments with native vines. Mazzei produced wine from Vitis vulpina in "colonial style". In a letter to the French Minister of State in 1783, Jefferson remarked about this wine: " I prefer the wine from Vitis cordifolia. This is a true "spaghetti red" complimenting any acidic food. The vine is sometimes used as table grape or ornamental vine. See further information under the keywords American vines and vine systematics.
Grape: Nabity Lab
Leaf: By Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Public Domain, Link
