Muscadine grapes are weathering this summer’s heavy rain better than other varieties of grapes at Morris Vineyards in Charleston, Tenn.The rainy summer has been hard on wine grapes at area vineyards. Hard on “French” wine grapes, that is – muscadine grapes native to the Southeast are thriving.
Chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot are among the nine “French” grapes grown on 12 acres at Montaluce Winery and Estates in Dahlonega, Ga. Also known as European varietals, they all belong to the species vitis vinifera native to Eurasia.
Those grapes do best in areas that have a Mediterranean climate with wet winters, bone-dry summers, hot summer days that boost grapes’ sugar levels and cool nights that let the grapes “rest.” Only a few places in the world have such a climate: the Mediterranean, coastal Chile, parts of South Africa and Australia, and much of California, particularly its most-famous wine-growing region, Napa Valley.
On average, Napa Valley gets less than 1 inch of rain between June and September. Napa Valley’s summer temperatures can exceed 100 during the day, but they drop to the 50-degree range at night. Thunderstorms are practically unknown. As for tornadoes, the entire state of California only gets a handful every year.
So Southern wineries have an uphill battle trying to raise vinifera grapes here, where summers are humid and rainy and nights are hot.