Norton

RedHybrid and native

Missouri and Virginia

Deeply coloured, genuinely serious American red with dark fruit and coffee, and none of the foxiness of the labrusca grapes.

At harvest

Each bar drawn against the full range of all 54 varieties

Sugar

22-26 Brix

22 - 26

Titratable acidity

9-13 g/L

9 - 13

3.2-3.6

3.2 - 3.6

Juice yield

0.60 L/kg

free run plus a gentle press

Sugar per kilogram

159 g

at 24.0 Brix, the midpoint

Fruit for 23 litres

38 kg

before racking losses

Potential alcohol

13.2-14.4%

from 1.101 fermented dry. A range, because conversion varies by strain

What it punishes

Extreme acidity, higher than any vinifera. Malolactic is essential and deacidification is usually needed on top of it.

Made into

Dry red

Sulphite at this pH

At pH 3.40, protecting a red wine to 0.5 mg/L molecular SO2 takes 20 mg/L of free SO2. Work it out for your own reading.

More hybrid and native

15-18 Brix

Concord

Eastern North America

15-18 Brix

Niagara

Eastern North America

16-19 Brix

Catawba

Ohio and the Finger Lakes

24-27 Brix

Marquette

Minnesota and the cold north

24-28 Brix

Frontenac

Minnesota

20-26 Brix

Vidal Blanc

Canada and the eastern US

18-21 Brix

Seyval Blanc

England and the eastern US

19-23 Brix

Traminette

Indiana and the mid-Atlantic