Vitis labrusca L.
The white variety of Vitis labrusca, known as Niagara, was initially cultivated in the northeastern United States. The red variety arrived in Brazil around 1830 and, by the end of the nineteenth century, its cultivation was already established in a region of São Paulo state including the cities of Jundiaí, Louveira and Vinhedo. Together with seven other cities, they comprise the so-called Circuito das Frutas (Fruit Circuit), which promotes visits to farms and a series of events that occur during the harvest season, from December to February. In 2015, Vinhedo’s Wine Festival gathered 400,000 people. The pink variety of Vitis labrusca, one of the most consumed in Brazil, was discovered in 1933, in Louveira. Grapes can be served fresh for dessert, and also used to prepare juices, jams, ice creams and cakes.
