Concord grape
Vitis labrusca · Vitaceae · also known as Fox grape, Concord, Slip-skin grape
The intensely "grapey" blue-black American grape behind purple grape juice, jelly, and jam — a slip-skin fox grape with a bold, musky-sweet flavor utterly unlike a wine grape. Bred in Massachusetts in 1849 and the taste of American childhood.
At a glance
- Taste
- Boldly sweet and musky with the deep "foxy" grape flavor that defines grape jelly and juice; the skin slips off easily, the flesh is soft and seedy, and the flavor is far more aromatic than a table or wine grape.
- Origin
- Northeastern North America (Concord, Massachusetts, 1849)
- Grown in
- United States, Canada, Brazil, South Korea
- Peak season
- Autumn
- Notable varieties
- Concord, Niagara, Catawba
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Deep blue-black with a dusty bloom and a powerful grape aroma, firmly on the stem; the smell tells you before the color does.
- How to eat
- Squeeze the slip-skin so the sweet flesh pops into your mouth (spit the seeds and skin, or eat both), or juice and jelly it — its true calling.
- Typical price
- Budget
The "grape" flavor of purple juice, jelly, soda, and candy is really the Concord grape — a variety bred in Concord, Massachusetts in 1849 — which is why artificial grape flavor tastes nothing like a wine or table grape.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| North America | Sep–Oct (northeastern US) |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
Choose deep blue-black, plump, fragrant grapes with a dusty bloom, firmly attached to the stem; they're intensely aromatic when ripe. A powerful grape smell is the best sign.
Storing it
A week or so refrigerated. Highly aromatic and soft, so eat or process soon; the classic uses are juice, jelly, and jam, all of which keep for a year.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Purple grape juice — the definitive use, and the taste of American lunchboxes
- Concord grape jelly and jam (the peanut-butter-and-jelly grape)
- Grape pie and desserts
- Kosher and sweet wines, and grape sodas
🌿 Health & traditional
- Polyphenol- and anthocyanin-rich; purple grape juice studied for heart health
🎎 Cultural
- Bred by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1849, and made famous by Welch's grape juice and jelly
- The flavor most Americans picture when they think "grape"
Eating concord grape: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Concord grape is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Concord grape contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Concord grape: frequently asked questions
What does concord grape taste like?
Boldly sweet and musky with the deep "foxy" grape flavor that defines grape jelly and juice; the skin slips off easily, the flesh is soft and seedy, and the flavor is far more aromatic than a table or wine grape.
When is concord grape in season?
Concord grape is typically in season North America (Sep–Oct (northeastern US)). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat concord grape?
Squeeze the slip-skin so the sweet flesh pops into your mouth (spit the seeds and skin, or eat both), or juice and jelly it — its true calling.
How do you know when concord grape is ripe?
Deep blue-black with a dusty bloom and a powerful grape aroma, firmly on the stem; the smell tells you before the color does.
Is concord grape good for you?
Concord grape is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
How much concord grape should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Ask an American to picture “grape” flavor and they’ll describe the Concord — not the mild table grape or the subtle wine grape, but the bold, musky, intensely aromatic blue-black grape behind purple juice, jelly, and grape soda. It’s why artificial “grape” flavor tastes nothing like an actual wine grape: it was modeled on this one.
The all-American grape
The Concord is a Vitis labrusca — a native North American “fox grape,” distinct from the Eurasian wine grape — with a slip-skin that pops off at a squeeze, soft seedy flesh, and that unmistakable “foxy” flavor. Bred by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1849, and made a household name by Welch’s, it became the taste of American childhood: the grape in peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, the purple juice in lunchboxes, the flavor of a thousand candies. Its dark skin is extraordinarily rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols — the basis of purple grape juice’s heart-health reputation. Too aromatic and seedy for wine (though it makes kosher and sweet wines), it’s a juice-and-jelly grape through and through. A cousin of the Southern muscadine, the Concord is proof that North America grew its own, wholly distinct grape tradition.
