I have been intrigued by the ‘MidSouth’ grapevine growing in my vineyard; enough so, that I tracked its entire pedigree down to the species level. Here is what I found:
50% Vitis champinii
37.89% Vitis vinifera
5.08% Vitis rupestris
4.69% Unknown (probably V. vinifera and V. rupestris, but could not confirm)
1.56% Vitis berlandieri
0.78% Vitis lincecumii
It is an intriguing vine — moderately vigorous with moderate crop load. Fruit set was very good this year and it is early compared to the other grapes I have in the vineyard. Last year it had a distinct “raspberry” flavor, but I want to replicate that again in my mouth before declaring it as a consistent trait. It is somewhat susceptible to anthracnose (caused by Elsinoe ampelina), as you can see in the photo below. ‘MidSouth’ has its faults — relatively low sugar levels, higher than desired acid, seeded, disease susceptibility, etc., but overall it is a cultivar with an interesting background.
Developing ‘MidSouth’ cluster in early May2015