THE QUICK SIP ON HYBRID GRAPES: THURSTQUEEN SHARES EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FUTURE OF WINE

King of the North, Marechal Foch, and St. Pepin are not characters out of the new Game of Thrones series, House of the Dragon — they’re a part of a new(ish) class of grapes: Hybrid grapes.

Hybrid grapes are starting to make their way into the spotlight in the natural wine world. Though Hybrid Grapes have been used in winemaking for centuries, they’re starting to become more prominent (and respected) by folks in the wine scene. Let’s take a quick second to unpack everything you need to know about these grapes, break down why they’re important, and chat about a few varietals you may run into in the wild.

WHAT ARE HYBRID GRAPES

Some of you may know this, but the majority of the grapes that go into your bottle of wine - like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot — are from a species of grape called Vitis Vinifera. Vitis Vinifera vines are different from your typical table grapes you buy at the grocery store. Vinifera grapes are meant for winemaking.

THE HISTORY OF HYBRID GRAPES

Early hybrid grapes were introduced in response to the phylloxera epidemic that took place at the turn of the 19th Century, and were often crosses of Vitis Vinifera vines with other species of grapes, like Vitis labrusca or Vitis riparia. These hybrid grapes were essentially the T-100 of grapes (get my Terminator reference?) Basically, they were indestructible. Rot, mold, pests, extreme weather - you name it - these hybrids were super hearty and impervious to disease. Yet despite the hearty nature of these grapes, the wines made from these early hybrid crossings were, quite frankly, pretty freaking bad. Okay they were gross. Full stop.

Some of these wines were so gross that the French government banned them in 1934 and said they were bad for human consumption. Like, seriously no joke, they would say hybrids caused blindness and made people go insane. Seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but anyway… I digress…

Flash forward to now where there are all sorts of rebellious winemakers using these “illegal,” and “frowned upon,” grapes. And it turns out? They’re making some pretty gosh darn good wines with them!

WHY ARE HYBRID GRAPES IMPORTANT NOW?

Hybrid Grapes are being used more often because of climate change. On the West Coast, like in sunny California where I reside, winegrowers are constantly dealing with drought and wildfires. On the East Coast, there is significantly more rainfall which naturally leads to greater occurrences of rot. Hybrids are rot resistant, remember?

As more wineries push towards organic viticulture, some growers have discovered that hybrids require less maintenance and still take really well to organic treatments. In short, as folks are striving to think more about the environment and the consumers of wine, and hybrids are starting to be the answer.

Vintners are starting to perfect their techniques with these grapes, resulting in some pretty special wines. Below are some examples of some Hybrid Grapes you might encounter on your travels.

HYBRID GRAPES

NORTON: A RICH RED MADE IN AMERICA

If you’re a Cabernet or a Tempranillo fan, you may want to give Norton a shot. Norton typically yields rich, bold, and dark reds with loads of savory and black fruit aromas. Wines made with Norton can be found typically within the American midwest.

FRONTENAC NOIR: FOR COLD CLIMATES LIKE MINNESOTA

Frontenac Noir - or Frontenac - is a dark red grape that is resistant to cooler climates. This grape is starting to experience some popularity in cooler regions like Quebec. Frontenac Noir has plenty of cherry aromas and pretty good acidity.

MARQUETTE: THE NEW HOT TICKET

As a grape, Marquette has a little bit more sugar than others, but it creates juicy and delicious wines. Marquette - like Frontenac - thrives in cooler climates, and you’ll see a lot of these vines in places like Minnesota, Quebec, and Vermont. This hybrid’s star is on the rise, and it’s starting to get write ups in magazines like Bon Appétit.

TRAMINETTE: FOR SPICE FIENDS EVERYWHERE

Traminette was created in 1996 and is a cross of Gewurtztraminer and a Franco-American hybrid Joannes Serve 23.416. This grape has all that spicy, zany goodness from Gewürtz that we know and love, yet also is resistant to cooler climates. You will find this grape planted primarily along the East Coast and the Midwest.

LA CRESCENT: TROPICAL FRUIT APLENTY

This hybrid is probably one of the most cold-resistant grapes out there. It was initially bred at the University of Minnesota in 2002, and has been planted in places like Kansas, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin. If you’re all about tropical aromas in wine, look for a wine made from La Crescent.

VIDAL BLANC: FOR RIESLING LOVERS EVERYWHERE

Vidal Blanc is a French hybrid that was created in the 1930s, and channels major Riesling vibes with all those tropical fruit and floral aromatics. You can find it grown in the Finger Lakes in New York and in portions of Canada.

PICK OF THE WEEK: EARLY MOUNTAIN YOUNG WINE WHITE $24.00 FROM EARLY MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS

RANT ALERT: I’M GOING TO DO SOME KVETCHING FOR A MOMENT—

Okay, so I low-key have a bone to pick with LA’s wine scene. As a matter of fact, I’ll extend that a bit to California. I searched high and low for a wine that featured hybrid grapes and could literally NOT find a single bottle. I had to dip over to the East Coast - DC, specifically - to get my hands on a beautiful bottle of what is considered by many to be the future of wine growing. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how many people gave me some serious shit whenever I asked if they carried wines made from hybrid grapes in LA. The general consensus was that hybrids made shitty wine, and none were worth carrying. This definitely set of my BS detector, and I knew I had to give hybrid wines a try when I went over to the East Coast.

I was even more annoyed when I tasted this beautiful wine composed of Vidal Blanc, a crossing of Ugni Blanc and Rayon d’Or and was CRAZY impressed by it. So here’s a little message I have for those folks in CA who are looking their nose down at hybrids GET WITH THE EFFING TIMES, OKAY??? There are a lot of great (and fairly priced) hybrid wines. Also, I’ve heard through the grapevine (no pun intended) that larger CA producers ARE including hybrid grapes in their wines and just not listing them on the label. Something else that is SUPER annoying.

Rant done. Now let’s chat about this gorgeous WINE!

The Early Mountain Young Wine is a beautifully crisp, clean and refreshing white wine from Virginia-based producer, Early Mountain Vineyards. It’s honestly a crowd pleaser, and if it were a person it would be the girl at the party that everybody wants to talk to. The nose is tropical to me, with some pineapple. Yet on the palate it’s clean AF and lighter than air. I would recommend this wine to Pinot Grigio freaks (there are a lot out there,) and pair this with anything ranging from salads to seafood. I had this beauty with some seared scallops and polenta and it was amazing.

Vidal Blanc is considered a chameleon in terms of wine grapes, and it can be used in dessert wines. The flavors of Vidal Blanc vary with the vintage - so some years it tastes more like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. It’s such a sunny, light and bright wine and at $24, I think it’s a fantastic easy-drinking introduction to Hybrid Varietals. So snag yourself a bottle and be prepared to be impressed AF! Pure juicy gullible deliciousness.