Missouri State Grape

Norton / Cynthiana grape

(Vitis aestivalis)

Adopted on July 11, 2003.

On July 11, 2003, the Norton/Cynthiana grape, Vitis Aestivalis, was adopted as the official state grape. This adaptable, self-pollinating variety has been cultivated since the 1830s and is likely North America's oldest grape variety still commercially grown.

Norton/Cynthiana has long been prized by Missouri vintners for its hardy growth habit and intense flavor characteristics, which produce lush, dry premium red wines of world-class quality and distinction. (RSMo 10.160)

Gov. Bob Holden signed a law July 11 making the Norton/Cynthiana grape Missouri's official grape and continuing the fruit's history as a premium wine ingredient.

The Norton/Cynthiana is an American grape first found in 1835 near Richmond, Va. It is Missouri's finest grape, making a dry, dark red wine that is medium in body with some fruity overtones. A dark, hardy grape, the Norton/Cynthiana is one of the most disease-resistant grape varieties.

Its name has been disputed. Some call the grape Norton and others refer to it as Cynthiana, but most agree it is the same grape. "Norton" comes from the name of Dr. Daniel Norton who cultivated the grape during its beginning years in Virginia.

In 1873, a competition near St. Louis declared a Norton wine "the best red wine of all nations."