Norton: America’s Wine Grape

Copyright L. Daniel Mouer, 2007

Zinfandel is often described as America’s first and most original gift to the world of wine. Actually, it’s Norton.

Paul Roberts, author of From This Hill, My Hand, Cynthiana's Wine

Virginia Claret?

The year was 1980. It was payday, and, as usual, I stopped around to my favorite hole-in-the-wall wine shop on the way home from work. I figured I might as well pick up a bottle of whatever looked really special before shelling out my paltry paycheck on secondary things like rent or utilities. I still remember more than one occasion on which I would eye a special bottle and wonder if my sweetie and I could postpone paying the light bill two more weeks. After all, a fine wine is even better by candlelight…

The proprietor, a friend of mine, came running up to greet me as I entered the little shop, holding in his hand what appeared to be an antique bottle of wine. The label was worn and faded with age. This was a fine prize my friend had won at auction the night before, and he was brimful of himself! He wanted to know if I’d ever seen or heard of anything vaguely like this before.

I took the bottle and looked it over. Time had not been kind to this wine. The liquid was nearly clear and colorless, and a huge mound of dark, flaky sediment sat at the bottom of the bottle, not unlike the “crust” dropped by an ancient flask of port. It was, however, the label that was so interesting. It was festooned with medals announcing that this fine wine had won major accolades in prestigious competitions held in European capitals. The winery was “Monticello,” the name of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home. The name of the wine was “Virginia Claret,” and the date on the bottle was 1887. What, in Heaven’s name, had my friend discovered: world-class, award-winning Virginia wine from the 19^th century? Was that possible?

Just a couple years ago, I made my own first 20-gallon batch of “Virginia Claret,” using the same grape that had been the dominant component in that antique wine. This grape has the singularly unsexy name “Norton,” or, in some locations, the slightly more attractive “Cynthiana.” It is unlike anything else out there. A true American grape, possibly hybridized with V. vinifera, but genetically and ampelographically classified as a cultivar of the native Vitis aestivalis. And it can make world-class wine!

The Norton Story

In 1824, Thomas Jefferson received some grapevines from an amateur horticulturalist living in Richmond: Dr. Daniel Norton. The grapes were intended for Jefferson’s grandson, who was helping to manage the farms of Monticello. It’s tempting to wonder if the grapes were destined for Jefferson’s growing experimental vineyard. After his term as ambassador to France, Jefferson had returned to Virginia determined to promote a vigorous development of fine-wine production in the Old Dominion. We don’t know, for certain, which grapes had been ordered from Dr. Norton, but it’s possible that either Jefferson or his grandson were looking to add Dr. Norton’s “Virginia Seedling” to the Monticello collection.

Many folks have tried to unravel the history and horticultural ancestry of the Norton grape over the years. We are very fortunate to have the fine, recent, scholarly detective work of Rebecca and Clifford Ambers, both of Sweetbriar College, in Amherst, Virginia. The Ambers have uncovered some of Dr. Norton’s papers, and their interpretation of his life, his gardens, and his grape makes fascinating reading. See Ambers, Rebecca K. R., Ph.D. and Ambers, Clifford P., Ph.D., Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton and the Origin of the Norton Grape, American Wine Society Journal, Vol. 36 (3): 77-87.

Dr. Norton was a physician whose small suburban farm was located in what is now the Carver neighborhood of Richmond: my old neighborhood! Among his hobbies was the horticultural effort to develop strains of wine grapes suitable for producing world-class wine in Virginia. The Jamestown colonists had attempted to make wine as early as 1608, but repeated experiments proved unsatisfactory. Nearly a century later, in 1699, a colony of French Huguenots settled along the banks of The James River just 15 miles west of the frontier English outpost at what is now Richmond. Their attempts also failed. The native Virginian grapes (principally Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia) made wine that was unpalatable, and European wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) simply were not well suited to Virginia’s climate.

Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Norton were simply two among many Americans hoping to find the secret to a successful wine crop in the new republic. Dr. Norton discovered a seedling growing in his experimental vineyard and soon recognized it’s extraordinary qualities. He made this discovery sometime between his marriage in 1818, when he first received the 27 acres that would become his “Magnolia Farm,” and 1828, when the variety appears listed in Norton’s own description of his viticultural enterprise at the farm. Two years later, Norton’s Virginia Seedling was described and offered for sale in William Prince’s A Treatise on the Vine. Prince owned the Linnaean Botanic Garden, in Flushing New York.

Over the remainder of the 19^th century, Norton’s grape variety grew in stature and importance as a wine producer especially well adapted to the conditions of eastern and midwestern North America. The Norton was established throughout Virginia, Missouri and Arkansas by the 1840s. According to author (and Norton grower) Paul L. Roberts,

In 1873, a Norton made just south of St. Louis was declared the “best red wine of all nations” at a worldwide competition in Vienna. The following year, a French commission studying American wines at [the French academic enological center] Montpelier gave Missouri’s Norton wines the same high marks. Many of the nation’s finest hotels and restaurants stocked Missouri and Virginia vintages…President U. S. Grant is known to have kept a righteous supply in his White House cellars.”

Paul L. Roberts, Norton, America’s True Grape…Whence and Whither?, http://www.thewineman.com/nortongrape.htm et. seq.

Norton or Cynthiana?

Many hundreds of pages of ink have been spilled in the sometimes controversial discussion about whether the Norton grape and the Cynthiana are the same or different. No need to beat that dead horse here other than to note that the scientists say they are genetically the same thing. However, there may be slight differences. Many argue that Cynthiana ripens slightly earlier than Norton. Possibly, Cynthiana is a distinctive clone. Call it what you will, but this author is a Virginian from Richmond, and, in my story, Dr. Norton gets to have his own name on his own grape!

What’s the Wine like, anyhow?

All this history and botany is entertaining, but we’re here to make some wine! Question is: what can we expect from Norton grapes, assuming we can find some? Anyone who regularly makes red wines from grapes grown in Eastern North America knows that it can be difficult to get the “phenolic” ripeness and the color of a big, rich, full-bodied wine. With Norton, it’s a snap. Even when not fully ripened, Norton tends to produce a deeply colored red wine with mouth-filling texture.

Many folks like to compare Norton with Zinfandel. Like Zin, Norton has a spicy, brambly character, but it is more deeply colored, and it often emphasizes dark fruit, coffee, and chocolate-like flavors. The texture is medium-to-full-bodied, and it can range from somewhat rough to silky smooth. Sound good? Most experts agree that Norton wines age very well and improve over several years in the bottle. How, then, do we account for the sentiments of one Virginia wine wonk (whose anonymity I will mercifully protect) who wrote, “People either love Norton wine, or they hate it. I’m a hater.” Compare this sentiment with those of Jennifer McCloud, proprietor of Virginia’s Chrysalis Vineyards:

…We’ve undertaken a serious commitment to restoring the native American grape, Norton, to its position of prominence as a source of world class wines… The Norton is dark in color with big fruity flavors, firm acidity, and a sweet taste that does not deliver typical "foxy" flavors and fragrances. It is very Bordeaux-like…the very best drinks effortlessly, ages magnificently, and no American wine cellar is complete without it.

Even quite ripe Norton can sometimes exhibit rather high total acidity levels, which makes it unusual for a red wine. What’s more, it can also weigh in at a high Ph, even without being overly ripe. Attempts to control Ph can lead to even greater additions of acid. The malic/tartaric acid ratio is unusually high in Norton, and there are concentrations of some flavor compounds that are not typical of “normal” (i.e., V. vinifera) grapes. The result is a big in-your-face hit of firm acidity, along with the deep, darkly rich fruitiness we usually associate with low-acid wines, like Aussie Shiraz or Amador Zinfandel. To some this “Norton twang,” as I like to call it, is just a bit too odd.

Like most grapes, Norton doesn’t make the same wine everywhere it is grown. Because it is a native grape, Norton is very resistant to many common vine diseases, including the infamous Pearce’s Disease, which keeps most Old World vines out the South. Norton can flourish as far south as the Mississippi delta, but there it produces a pale shadow of itself. According to Joe O’Neal, of Bayou LaCroix Vineyard in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, “color in the Norton here is almost muddy. The flavor is just flat as well, seems the extreme heat tends to cook most of the flavor out of the grapes.”

One of the joys of growing Norton grapes is that they are very hardy. They can even tolerate occasional temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This might make you think that Norton would be found throughout the Northeast, or even the Northern Plains, but that isn’t the case. To develop fully, the Norton vines require a reasonably long growing season. Many growers feel that the best qualities only develop in Norton with plenty of “hang time,” even after optimal Brix levels have been obtained. For that reason, the Middle Atlantic States are generally the northern extent of production. Nowhere is Norton more at home, however, than in the neighboring states of Missouri, where Norton is the “state grape” and Arkansas, where it is usually called “Cynthiana”. I personally count some Norton wines produced from old Missouri vines as one of the “best red wine of all nations.”

Mike Oglesby, who grows Norton at his Meadow Creek Vineyards in Fox, Arkansas, notes the sensitivity of Norton to different terroirs:

Cynthiana from my vineyard has a distinctive brambleberry fruit-forward flavor that I find pleasing but is not to everyone’s taste. Norton/Cynthiana made from different vineyards seems to exhibit a wide variety of flavor characteristics depending on location and climate and the climate can very greatly from year to year at my location. I find my Cynthiana wines to be more Burgundy-like but have had St. James Norton, from Missouri, with deep chocolate and coffee overtones.

Most folks who make wine from the Norton are fans of malolactic fermentation, which helps reduce the high malic acid content. Mike Oglesby recommends using Lalvin’s 71B1122 yeast, which is also my top choice for this grape, because 71B digests a portion of malic acid during primary fermentation. Another option for moderating the acid profile of this grape is to use carbonic maceration, which also devours malic acid.

While many of the wineries that produce Norton bottle their products principally as varietal wines, one of Norton’s real strengths is as a blender. Mike Oglesby notes:

A two-thirds Chambourcin /one-third Cynthiana blend makes a complex, full-bodied wine with good balance. I am currently experimenting with adding grape tannins to improve this blend even more.

I like to blend Norton with Cabernet Sauvignon. The cab adds additional length and depth to the structure, which augments, and is in turn augmented by, the lush fruit and dark flavor tones of the Norton. I also find that additions of enological tannins can round out the mid-palate with these wines. Jim Ward, of Eno River Vineyards, in Durham, North Carolina, currently blends his Cynthiana with Malbec and Petit Verdot, and is contemplating possible future blends with Shiraz, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel. Just a little bit of Norton can provide color, body, fruit, and spice to a thinner, paler red wine.

Can I Grow My Own?

If you live in the Middle Atlantic or the Midwest, you might want to consider growing your own Norton grapes. Compared to V. vinifera varieties, Norton is relatively easy to grow. The vine is not without its quirks, however. For instance, even though Norton is a native grape, and can be grown on its own roots rather than on commercial disease-resistant rootstock, it is almost impossible to root from cuttings. Instead, you need to propagate the vine by “layering.” That entails making a purposeful wound in a vine and covering the wound with soil or some other growing medium. After a time, roots will sprout, and this rooted section can then be planted.

Norton will require a spray regime, but it won’t be as demanding as those of Old World vines. Whatever you do, however, don’t allow any sulfur spray to come anywhere near your Norton vines. Paul Honea, of Chestnut Ridge Vineyard in central Virginia, didn’t understand this unusual feature of Norton vines. He planted a few rows alongside his Cabernet Sauvignon, and shortly after normal sulfur spraying of the Cab, he noticed the tragic results in his Norton vines. The big-leaved, vigorous young vines suddenly looked “as though someone had walked down the rows with a flame-thrower burning all the leaves.”

Another drawback to growing Norton is its incredible vigor. In fertile soil, the vines produce lots of greenery. The Virginia Extension Service recommends planting Norton in poor, infertile soil, just to help control vigor. Plan on lots of pruning and canopy management if you want top quality fruit. Jim Ward notes also that the dense canopy and smallish clusters make harvesting Norton just a bit more work than for some other varieties. Despite that caveat, Jim says that growing Norton means you have to “spray less, fret less, and don’t bother cluster thinning.”

Not everyone recommends ignoring the cluster thinning, however. S.C. Wehner, a hobbyist grower and winemaker, is very pleased with the Norton he grows way down in Midland, Texas:

Surprisingly, I started 5 years ago because I’m originally from Missouri, and knew of the grape, and I love its wine. I wanted to just see how they would do relative to my other vines out here in southwest Texas. They are the healthiest no-fuss vines I have. They produce profusely—to the point this year I will do my best to thin. They need to be thinned back during the growing season in the future to improve on individual bunch yield, but without any attention they yield 80 pounds per vine!

So let’s make some Norton!

If you live in an area where Norton is grown, try to arrange to get some this coming harvest. If you have any influence over when the grapes get picked, try to shoot for “phenolic” ripeness, as indicated by woody rachises, brown pips, full fruity flavors, and softening skins and pulp. Properly ripened Norton will weigh in at 23-24 degrees Brix, but you can certainly make tasty wine with less sugar. I buy 15 pounds of grapes for each gallon of finished wine I hope to make.

--Crush your grapes and test the must. Test for Ph. If Ph is 3.7 or higher, plan on adding tartaric acid, in increments, until Ph is below 3.6. Now, if TA is higher than 7 g/l as tartaric, you can consider lowering acidity slightly through “amelioration.” That means adding sugar water to retain the Brix reading while lowering TA. With Norton, this may sometimes be acceptable practice, but it’s not one I recommend. Even if TA were as high as 1.0 or 1.1 g/l, I would not try to ameliorate acidity at this point. Using Ph as your guideline, add sufficient potassium metabisulfite to achieve a maximum of 20 ppm SO2.

--Should you cold soak? In order to increase extract and, especially color, many winemakers like to reduce the must temperature to about 40-50 degrees F., and allow it to soak, with or without color-extracting pectic enzymes. There is no shortage of tannins and colorants in Norton, so with grapes grown in their optimal zone, I see no benefit to this. The potential rise in Ph that sometimes comes with cold soaking would be undesirable.

--Pitch a yeast starter. If TA is high, and/or if fresh fruit emphasis is desired, use Lalvin 71B. If Brix is as high as 24 degrees, then consider using a different yeast, because 71B might leave more residual sugar than you want in the finished wine. I like D-254, a Rhone Valley isolate, for its contributions to rich mouthfeel and velvety texture. Aim for a warm fermentation with lots of punching down or pumping over.

--Norton grapes are chock full of seeds, and the seeds are full of bitter tannins. I have never had a Norton wine that was overly astringent or bitter; however, many commercial wineries believe that delestage should be used in making Norton wines in order to produce desirable velvety tannins and easy drinkability in the finished wine. (see Daniel Pambianchi’s Do the Delestage, Winemaker, June 2003)

--When primary fermentation ceases, pitch a culture of malolactic bacteria culture, along with some MLF bug food. Allow the wine to rest undisturbed, in a warm area. When malolactic fermentation is complete, as determined by an enzyme test or by paper chromatography, rack the wine off the primary lees.

--Now is the time to consider using oak in the finishing of your Norton wine. Norton responds very well to oak—barrel aging or tank aging with oak adjuncts. In fact, Norton can stand up to quite a bit of oak. I like to use enough to enhance the spicy qualities of the wine, but not so much as to eclipse the sweet fruit and rich cocoa flavors. However, many folks like to bottle Norton with no oak. This is a place where you can experiment and customize your own Norton wine.

--The large load of non-dissolved solids that is typical with Norton dictates a fairly lengthy regimen of racking-and-waiting in order to clarify and stabilize the wine. The wine is often quite drinkable just a few weeks after fermentation is over, but early bottling will lead to a load of pigment sedimentation in your bottles. You could rush the process by fining and/or filtering, if you prefer, but patience is well rewarded. This wine really improves with proper maturing.

--At this point, the choice is up to you: blend or bottle as a varietal. Your decision may depend on how extensively your wine exhibits that “Norton twang,” and whether you like it, or would rather subdue it in favor of more traditional flavors.

If you find you’re hooked on Norton, the adventure is just beginning. This grape begs to be experimented with, by blending, by making rosé, by trying out carbonic maceration, and by using different levels and types of oak aging. If you have, or are contemplating, a “backyard” vineyard, a few Norton vines might make a big contribution to your home winery. Norton is truly America’s wine grape. Try it out and see what you’ve been missing!