The Wine Bottle

So you’ve heard about Catawba grapes and the delicious wine they produce. But, riddle me this, do you know where the grapes came from? So sit back and listen up, it is time for the shortest history of catawba you’ll find. It’s a bummer that school wasn’t this easy!

The “OG” or original “Catawba,” was a sparkling wine produced by, Vitis labrusca, a grape native to America. Getting its start as a wild grape, the Catawba eventually was cultivated beside the shores of the Ohio river. A poltician by the name of Nicholas Longworth had an image of this Ohio land transforming into the Rhine of America.”

The catawba grape itself is a red-purplish and rather sweet species of grape. Catawba grapes are in season in September – November, and they are most likely used in jams, jellies, juices and wines. The catawba can have a distinct “foxy” or musky flavor and are particularly sensitive to ozone pollution.

Catawba grapes when used in wine making produce a semi-dry, semi-sweet, or sweet wine. When Catawba wines were first taste tested in Paris at the Exposition Universelle, they didnt get rave reviews at all. All of the French judges gave the wines zeros across the board, complaining about the musky and foxy flavor that we have come to love today.

Particularly, I am a huge fan of sweet wines, so a nice, cheap bottle of St. James Winery Pink Catawba really hits the spot for me. Its hard to pass up this 7 dollar bottle of wine. I bet you can’t find a better deal anywhere. Another Missouri wine I like is “Stone Hill Winery’s Pink Catawba.” Honestly, you can easily find a much more expensive bottle of wine that probably tastes better, but I’m perfectly happy spending under 10 dollars to enjoy the sweet taste of catawba.

Which, of all the many varieties of catawba wine is your favorite? Don’t be afraid, post your favorite wine in the comment section.

Tags: catawba grapes, catawba wine, pink catawba, st james winery