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But according to Jones, it may be a mistake to write muscadine wines off as inferior to their vinifera counterparts.

Centuries later, Spanish missionaries and conquistadors introduced European vinifera vines to the Americas, Dutch traders planted vineyards in South Africa, and British colonists brought vines to Australia and New Zealand.

There are many species of grapevines, but only one, Vitis vinifera, supplies the wine that is recommended by a sommelier.

Most of the famous European wine grapes — cultivars of Vitis vinifera like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot — are too tender to be grown in Chicago-area gardens, as well as large swaths of the United States.

In 1980, there were fewer than 20 wineries in Washington and much of Stimson Lane’s inventory included wines from fruit other than the classic vinifera grapes that had transformed California into a rising power.