What Is a Catawba Grape?
The Catawba grape is a grape cultivar developed in North America. It is primarily used commercially and consequently is rarely encountered in grocery stores or farmers’ markets, although sometimes it can be obtained by special order. A wide variety of products made with this grape can be found on the shelves at the store, although they may not be explicitly labeled as containing Catawba grapes. This grape cultivar was bred in the 1800s by John Adlum, a noted early North American viticulturalist. It is named for the Catawba River in North Carolina and is believed to be a hybrid of some wild grape varietals. When the Catawba grape was introduced to American farmers, it quickly became very popular along the East Coast of the United States, where it continues to be widely grown in regions with the right climate. These grapes tend to prefer hardiness zones between seven and 10 on the USDA scale.
