Foxy flavor

The advantages of the V. labrusca and V. rotundifolia varieties were their resistance to the ubiquitous fungus diseases and to winter killing. To a large extent, the V. labrusca hybrids had similar characteristics. Their disadvantage was their strong flavor, especially of the V. labrusca cultivars and some of its hybrids. These grapes and their wines had what came to be called a foxy flavor. The European settlers, accustomed to the milder flavors of the V. vinifera varieties, found it difficult to cultivate a taste for this foxy flavor. Some of the labrusca hybrids had low resistance to phylloxera. 

Therefore, sugar was added to make up for the deficiency. Water, to reduce the high acidity, also was used commonly. The water also reduced the foxy flavor of the native varieties. Neither practice was necessary with V. vinifera varieties in California. Later in the nineteenth century, Eastern bottlers often blended California and Eastern wine. This reduced the strong labrusca and scuppernong flavors and, of course, reduced commercial rivalry. Later, laws permitted use of sugar and water except in California. This difference in practice still exists. 

Flavor characteristics of white Concord wine are completely different from those of red Concord wine. Although fruity, the foxy character is almost entirely lacking in the white wine. The white Concord wine is valuable in blends and in the production of baked dessert wines. 

The pure substance smells pungent or leek-like, whereas a penetrating animal-like, foxy or even skunky odor predominates at low concentrations (ca 0.1 ppm) (Soeltoft, 1988). At a concentration of 0.04 ppm, the flavor is perceived as skunky, meaty, coffee, fatty, tarry, etc. (Chemisis, 2000). The odor and taste thresholds in air and water measured by Grosch (1996) were 0.2-0.4g/m3 and 0.2-0.3ppt (0.0002-0.0003 xg/L) respectively. The low detection threshold in water explains the important olfactory contribution of this compound even at the measured low concentration. 

Figure 16.7 (a) Joy is a blue, nonslipskin, seedless grape with fruity flavor. The skin is thin, among the thinnest of any Arkansas-developed grape, (b) Neptune is a seedless, nonslipskin white grape that has a fruity flavor but is not foxy. 

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