Vitis Labrusca - "Foxy" Musk

"Foxy" Musk

According to University of California, Davis viticulture expert A. J. Winkler, outside of the vinifera Muscat family of grapes, Vitis labrusca varieties have the most pronounced aromas among wine grape varieties. The description of "foxy" doesn't have anything to do with actual animal, but rather serves as a catch-all term to describe the unique, earthy and sweet muskiness that is best epitomized by fresh Concord grapes though some of the "sweet muskiness" can be perceived in grape juice made from Concord and other labrusca varieties like Niagara. In the 1920s, scientists were able to isolate the aroma compound responsible for the "foxy" musk as methyl anthranilate.

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