Catawba Grape

Vitis labrusca 'Catawba'

fruit

Catawba is the historic American pink-skinned grape that became the first commercially successful US wine grape in the mid-1800s. The labrusca grape produces clusters of dusty-red berries with the classic foxy aroma of native American grapes, slipskin texture, and a balanced sweet-tart juice that makes excellent rose, sweet pink wines, and grape juice.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Hyssop — May improve grape vine vigor and repel aphids
• Chives — Sulfur compounds may help suppress mildew at the trunk
• Yarrow — Hosts beneficial parasitoid wasps
• White Clover — Living mulch in the aisles fixes nitrogen

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Black rot →

  Rake fallen leaves, remove mummies in fall, prune for airflow; protective fungicide at bloom in wet years

• Japanese beetles →

  Hand-pick into soapy water; never use pheromone traps

• Powdery mildew →

  Open canopy, sulfur sprays during humid weather

• Grape phylloxera →

  Use grafted vines on resistant rootstock

🌾 Harvest & storage

Catawba ripens mid to late October. Taste-test for sugar; sugar climbs in the last 2 to 3 weeks before harvest. Snip whole clusters with pruners. Catawba is the foundation grape for traditional sweet pink wines (a single-varietal Catawba rose is the historic recipe), excellent grape juice, and jelly. The slipskin separates beautifully from the seeded pulp when cooked.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 67 calories per 100 g with 0.9 g fiber, 4 mg vitamin C, and 191 mg potassium. American grapes carry distinctive flavor compounds (methyl anthranilate) that contribute the famous grapey aroma, and like all dark grapes, Catawba is a notable source of resveratrol and anthocyanins.