To me, Norton has a very unique flavor compared to other grapes. I haven't found one that is similar. The party line is that it is an american wine grape that lacks the "foxiness" of other american grapes such as concord. Don't ask me what foxiness means. A dry concord does have an odd flavor that doesn't seem to be present in Norton.
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Thanks thats what we were discussing. Also ....obviously there are several factors that determine the grapes sweetness. Does one or the other tend to be sweeter on average?
Jet, absolutely right, Norton is Vitis Aestivalis while concord is Vitis Labrusca. Some people believe that Norton is actually a hybrid of Vitis Aestivalis and Vitis Vinifera that either arose through Mr. Norton's efforts or through blind luck (people were planting vitis vinifera near wild american grapes and Mr. Norton found the hybrids).
How about doing a black-op? What they don't know won't hurt anyone....
We have discussed using yeast and additives but are flogged heavily for trying to modernize the process.
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We are absolutely not allowed to use a hydrometer to determine it so it is always a shot in the dark.
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