My favorite grapes, for table and wine, are the muscats. For those unfamiliar with them, Earl Grey Tea is remotely like it. Of course for those who imbibe, a lot of 'moscato' wines are now on the market for very cheap.
Breeding grapes to get the "muscat" flavor has not proven easy, since it takes several chromosomes to show up in a given cross all at the same time, in order for the muscat flavor to develop. Labrusca flavors are a lot more persistent...........too much so, perhaps.
Anyhow, if anyone else on the forum is messing with muscat grapes for the Maritime Northwest, I'd like to hear what you've had the best results with.
Siegerrebe seems to be a good one, but the flavor is not quite as floral as some other muscats.
<!-- s
--><img decoding="async" src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s -->
The New York Muscat was indeed a very tasty grape, but unfortunately, its pedigree gave it little vigor. Geneva breeders used the Ontario Parent a lot in crosses, which passes on very good fruit. The rest of the char. of the vine are not so stellar.
I tried to use this grape in breeding, but unfortunately, the weak nature was strongly passed along to its seedlings.
All that said, NY Muscat is a very flavorful grape.
Would be best to order it on a rootstock, if you can find someone to graft it onto SO-4 or Kober 5-BB
I will second Hoopus/Boizeau's opinion that Muscat grapes are distinctively flavored. If you love American "fox" grapes (labrusca) like I do, you will probably like the distinctive flavor of muscats. If you really only like seedless Flame and Thompson Seedless from the grocery store, don't bother.
John S
PDX OR
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron