The moment Europeans arrived on American shores, they started making wine. Initially, however, three things went wrong. First, when they brought over Vitis vinifera, phylloxera — which is native to North America — infected the vines and they were unable to adjust to the new climate. When they pivoted to using native grape varieties, the resulting wines didn’t have the same flavor profile they were used to back home. But as these Europeans spread across America, they kept trying to hybridize grapes and breed varieties that would take well to winemaking.
Enter Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton, a physician and horticulturalist who served as a surgeon’s mate in Virginia during the War of 1812. After the untimely passing of his wife, he slipped into depression but attempted to distract himself by trying to create a disease-resistant grape suited for winemaking. Around 1820, he eventually stumbled upon a hybrid of a grape called Bland (literally) and Pinot Meunier. This hybrid was dubbed “Norton,” and it’s ultimately one of the most balanced wine grapes native to the U.S.
On this episode of “Wine 101,” we’re tackling another listener question following our recent Muscadine episode. It’s about Norton, the first cultivated American native grapevine. Tune in for more.
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“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.
*Image retrieved from Ruth Swan via stock.adobe.com
