Vitis Labrusca - History

History

According to wine historian Edward Hyams and wine expert Jancis Robinson, Vitis labrusca was likely the species spotted by Leif Ericsson growing wild along the coast of Vinland in the 11th century. There is ample evidence that the labrusca was growing wild in North America centuries before the Europeans discovered the continent. However, the vine was not officially identified and recorded until Carl Linnaeus and his peers started cataloging American vine species in the mid 18th century. In the 19th century, Vitis labrusca was among the American vines transported to Europe that were carrying the phylloxera louse which would cause wide spread devastation to the European vineyards planted with Vitis vinifera.

Also in the 19th century, Ephraim Bull of Concord, Massachusetts, cultivated seeds from wild labrusca vines to create the Concord grape which would become an important agricultural crop in the United States.