Where did the variety come from?
Russian holidaymakers make Isabella wine for themselves, and in the south of the country they also sell it to tourists. Photo: Valery Matytsin / TASS
Nobody specially bred this variety. “Isabella” is considered a natural hybrid of the American grape Vitis labrusca (which includes Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) and the European species Vitis vinifera (Concord and Niagara varieties). This hybrid appeared in North America. It is named, as you might imagine, in honor of a woman: breeder William Prince found this grape in the garden of his friend, whose wife was called Isabella.
Amazing simplicity, incomparable strawberry aroma of berries, resistance to diseases and frost, very high yield – the variety seemed ideal for winemaking.
In the 19th century, “Isabella” arrived in Europe and quickly began to displace traditional varieties. But along with the “Isabella”, apparently, the root aphid also arrived. “Isabella” with her “immunity” was not affected by the infection, but European vineyards were destroyed.
European winemakers for a long time could not get rid of “Isabella” as a rival to the usual varieties. The unpretentious variety filled all the vineyards.
The total ban on this variety was introduced after the methanol scandal that broke out in Italy in 1986. After drinking wine, 23 people died and another 90 were poisoned. It turned out that this Isabella wine contained methanol. However, it later turned out that methanol was specially added to wine to improve alcohol intoxication and increase sales. But the ban on “Isabella” was already in effect. And it still works.
Is Isabella really that scary?
Isabella contains a lot of pectin (a plant polysaccharide). If you eat these grapes alone, there will be no harm. On the contrary, pectin can reduce blood cholesterol levels and helps the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
But when it is fermented into wine, it produces large amounts of methanol. And this is already poison: even a small dose can cause blindness or cirrhosis and even lead to death.
However, according to scientists, the concentration of methanol in Isabella wine is only 0.4 grams per liter. A dose of 10 mg is considered dangerous for vision. That is, to cause real harm to health, you need to drink 25 liters. Even if you drink so much ordinary wine, not every body can withstand such an alcohol test with ethyl alcohol. It is true that in some homemade wines the concentration of methanol can reach 1 mg per liter. In this case, drinking 10 liters of wine becomes dangerous.
Therefore, in Russia and some other countries they believe that the taboo of this wine is very conditional.
Why is Isabella considered bad taste?
Although “Isabella” is considered both a technical variety (for wine production) and a table variety (for fresh consumption), sommeliers consider this variety to be categorically unacceptable for wine production.
The smell of the variety is difficult to confuse: notes of strawberries are noticeable in it, says the director of the WineRetail project, Alexander Stavtsev. We can clearly recognize it in juices, chewing gum, cosmetics and other products with the addition or smell of grapes. Muscat and Isabella are the most recognizable grape aromas. This bright smell is well known to consumers.
All of Isabella’s strawberry flavor disappears during fermentation. The wine takes on a “foxy” tone
But all this bright berry aroma disappears during fermentation. The wine takes on a “cunning” tone – the feeling that the fox was marking its territory. Methyl anthranilate (a compound of anthranilic acid and methanol) kills all food aromas in the “Isabella” shade, says Alexander Stavtsev. And as soon as a person has minimal knowledge about wine, this aroma ceases to be attractive to him. “Isabella” is suitable for those consumers for whom wine is the same means of providing degrees to the body as vodka or beer, the expert believes.
However, marketers have learned to turn this flaw of “Isabella” into an attractive feature. In wine bars, this type of wine is usually presented as a drink “with notes of wet fox fur.”
From Isabella there can be no premium and long-lasting wine: it decomposes very quickly and needs to be drunk within the first year, says Alexander Stavtsev.
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What kind of “Isabella” is sold in Russia?
“Isabella” appeared in our country in the middle of the last century and grows in almost every second country house from Krasnodar to the Moscow region, from Kaliningrad to Primorye. Many gardeners make homemade wine from this variety. This hobby is very common in the Krasnodar region: Isabella sells homemade wine for tourists. If after having a drink like that on the beach you feel like you had a “good” time, it was definitely “Isabella” with methanol.
Small Russian companies also produced it on an industrial scale. But starting in 2022, Isabella will not be included in the list of grape varieties allowed for wine production. However, the sale of wines of this variety is not prohibited. That’s why all our Isabella wine is imported.
Wine of this variety continues to be produced in Moldova, Serbia, Abkhazia and several other countries. In recent years, the Brazilian Isabella has been imported to Russia.
But the main supplier of Isabella to the Russian market remains Abkhazia. Last year, wine imports from Abkhazia decreased noticeably. Local wineries were idle for a fairly long period, which winemakers associated with the lack of components arriving in Sukhumi by sea, says Alexander Stavtsev. Probably, in addition to components, raw materials were also supplied – the Isabella was traveling to Abkhazia from Moldova. Now logistics have apparently improved. Therefore, the production of Abkhazian wines was resumed and they again began to be supplied to Russia.
In Russia there is demand for “Isabella”, the wine is popular. But if earlier wine from the inexpensive “Isabella” cost a penny, now prices have risen above 500 rubles per bottle. But the public of this drink knows how to count money. And ordering both “Isabella” and “Cabernet Sauvignon” is reckless, says Alexander Stavtsev. And to produce cheaper wine, there is a temptation to abuse it: instead of grapes, there may be some kind of flavorings.
Furthermore, the Abkhazian wine boom in Russia began when the Georgian wine supply was closed. Abkhazia was a kind of alternative. But now Georgian wine has no obstacles to be supplied to Russia: the drink is imported here without duties, notes Stavtsev.
