"Where did you get the idea for the name.....ISABELLA GRAPE"????....a question that is asked of us all the time

Depending on your reference, the North Carolina Isabella Grape is described as follows:

Actual Isabella Grapes

"In appearance, the fruit of the Isabella is fully as attractive as that of any black grape,         the clusters being large and well formed, and the berries glassy black with thick bloom.         The flavor is good, but the thick skin and muskiness in taste are objectionable.            The grapes keep and ship well.....The origin of the Isabella is not known"                     [Hedrick---Manual of American Grape Growing, 1924]

  HOWEVER.......we prefer the "legend" of the Isabella Grape, and how it got it's name....

The Southport, NC region was, in early colonial times, governed by the British.  

One of the early governors, himself an accomplished horticulturist, began to create varying hybrids of grapes by combining and grafting cuttings brought from Europe with varieties common to this region, such as the Muscadine and Scuppernong.  A particularly appealing grape resulted from his experiments,  dark in color, rich in taste, thinner in skin.......It's beauty caused him to name it after his daughter.......you guessed it......ISABELLA!!!!

The rights to the "Isabella" grape were sold to the New York vineyards, where almost all winemaking occurred in colonial times.  And we Americans developed our preference towards even sweeter and thinner skinned varieties of grape, thus resulting in the Concord varieties replacing the Isabella.....

  Today, however, the Isabella is still grown in Brazil and various South and Central American countries,  and is blended with Concord, as well as other varieties for juice and wine......

And THAT'S the rest of the story.......now...click here to enter Isabella Grape...