Muscadines: Learn more about the grape that's native to Georgia and its wine

Muscadine grapes are native to Georgia, giving the state the lead when it comes to production of the wine making grape, experts say. That makes Georgia the right place to be for something a little different on National Wine Day on Saturday.

“Muscadine grapes come from one species of grape called vitis rotundifolia, which is a group that is native to the Southeast,” said Sarah Lowder, extension viticulture specialist at the University of Georgia. “Georgia is probably one of the largest if not the absolute largest producer of muscadines in the world. We certainly have the largest farm that grows muscadines in the world.”

On May 25 each year, wine lovers are invited to celebrate the holiday by pouring a glass of their favorite wine.

“Muscadines tend to be a very fruity grape and have a lot of very fun characteristics for wines,” said Lowder, who is also an assistant professor of horticulture at UGA. “It's a fairly popular grape. People have very different preferences for muscadines. Some people love muscadine wine and others prefer to eat them. I’m a big fan of munching on grapes of all sorts.”

White Horse Wine and Spirits, one of several local Augusta wine retailers, is an option for National Wine Day.

“We carry Duplin Hatteras Red and the Carolina Red,” said Rahim Sawant, manager at White Horse Wine & Spirits, located at 497 Highland Ave. “I would say the Hatteras Red is the most popular of the two. It’s a little bit sweeter. If I had to choose I would go for the Carolina Red because it’s a step back in sweetness.”

Lowder said production numbers tend to be flexible because they’re hard to generate.

Georgia is listed as having between 2,000 and 2,500 acres of muscadine grapes reported in 2021, according to experts.

Lowder said this time of year is known as right before bloom.

“For most of southern Georgia, bloom will start for a lot of people in late May or June,” said Lowder. “Then they’ll start to ripen in July. Then the harvest will go through probably the first frost. Muscadines have a much larger harvest season than a lot of other grapes.”

An increase in the number of days with heavy precipitation, causing severe flooding is one of many symptoms of climate change that can have an impact on muscadine grape production, experts say.

“Muscadines are pretty resilient,” said Lowder. “Hurricane damage tends to be more of a problem if you get a muscadine vineyard that is in an area with high flooding. Muscadines can handle a lot of moisture, but they don't like to sit in the water. When you have high winds and lots of water and flooding at the same time that can be a little rough. This tends to happen more often as the climate is changing.”

Muscadines are a perennial crop and, if well managed, vines can be productive for several years, according to experts.

Elliot Price, chief volunteer for Vineyard Giving Farm, said it is easy to care for muscadine plants.

“Georgia is a prime location for muscadines,” said Price. “The skin is sour and the center part of the grape is sweet. You have to pick the grapes at the right time. We harvest between August and September. We probably pick 40 to 60 pounds of muscadines. They go directly to our storehouse food pantry.”

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: National Wine Day is a great day to learn about muscadine grapes