Thought I would share this for those who are unfamiliar with the Muscadine.
<H2>History of the Muscadine - The South’s Own Grape</H2>
Throughout the Southeastern United States, along rivers, creek banks, throughout forests, all wooded areas, fence rows, etc. many millions of different muscadine seedlings have been discovered. Perhaps the seeds were scattered by opossum, raccoons, birds or deer because of their delightful taste and aroma.
Occasionally an outstanding seedling would be discovered here and there. However, the majority of muscadines and bullis were too twangy, too acid, too sour, with not enough sugar to interest growers for cultivation.
In 1554 the greatest discovery of any grape species in America was found by a member of the Sir Walter Raliegh colony. It was the grand old scuppernong vine – also called “Mother Vine”, “The Big White Grape”, “Grape of the South”, “Grape of Grapes”, and “The South’s Own Grape.”
Much confusion exists as to what a Scuppernong and what is a muscadine, the thinking being that the scuppernong is white and the muscadine is black. The fact is all are muscadines whether white, black, or red. Many dark muscadines were called Bullis especially in South Carolina because of the resemblance to European plum bearing the name. “Bull Grape” is a corruption of the same, likewise “bullet”. Scuppernong grape is a sport of the Species Vitis Rotundiofolia, commonly called muscadine, which is native to the Southern States and grows nowhere else except as an exotic.
Of the score of so of grape species native to the United States, the scuppernong was the earliest to prove interesting to winemakers and continues to present date. The word scuppernong is derived from Askuonong, whichj interepreted from the S. Algonquion language meaning “at” (or in) the place (country) of the Askupo. The Askupo in turn is the Magnolia glouea, a small tree growing in swamps (or bays as magnolia swamps are called in North Carolina). The plant now popularly known as “sweet bay”, “swamp bay”, “sassafras”, etc was mentioned as early as 1588 by Thomas Harot; “Ascopo a kind of tree very like unto Lowell, the bark hoat and spicie.”
The grape of the South was discovered as an original wild scuppernong vine in 1554 and was still found bearing fruit after 350 years. Another name is the Sir Walter Raleigh vine discovered off Roanoke Island, North Carolina in Tyrrell County (records of over three tons were harvested from this vine which covered several acres). From this vine many thousands of plants were rooted and transplanted throughout the southeast, and noticed growing on plantation and homestead in shape of the old scuppernong arbor.