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Properties of the Isabella grape variety. Video
If you have a summer vacation on the Black Sea coast of Russia or Ukraine, you are familiar with homemade Isabella wine with a pronounced bright aroma, which many locals make for sale and for home use. The raw material for this wine is grapes of the same name, which grows in the south in almost every courtyard of a private house. But in Europe, this variety is banned. Why is it so harmful?
Isabella grape properties
When the first European settlers began to explore America, they found local varieties of wild Vitis labrusca grapes there and tried to cultivate it. For breeding work, seedlings of those varieties that were grown in Europe – Vitis vinifera were transported to America. The planting material was sent from the New World to the Old. And it was here that a very unpleasant surprise awaited European winemakers: along with wild seedlings, the previously unknown diseases of the vine were introduced: phylloxera and oidium, or powdery mildew. It turned out that American grapes are not susceptible to these diseases, and for the gentle “Europeans” they were literally fatal.
European winegrowers began to panic – local varieties began to perish in whole plantations and, in order to somehow preserve them, hybrid varieties were bred when the European vine began to be grafted onto the roots of V. labrusca, resistant to these diseases. This is how the Isabella and Lydia varieties were obtained, which are immune to diseases and unpretentious in care – for a good yield, they only need to do pruning in a timely manner. These non-covering varieties quickly spread not only throughout Europe, but took root in the Caucasus, Abkhazia, Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Moldova, where they were grown not only by private owners, but also on an industrial scale. Due to Isabella’s unpretentiousness, her plantings can be found in the Black Earth Region, Moscow Region and even Siberia. According to its properties, Isabella belongs to technical varieties, therefore, mainly wine is made from it.
Dangerous features of the Isabella variety
The berries of this grape are black, covered with a whitish bloom. Ripens quite late – in the southern regions of Russia, the harvest is carried out in early October-mid-November. The slimy pulp and skin have a specific smell and taste: if you walk past the yard in which Isabella ripens in autumn, you can recognize this by the wonderful aroma that penetrates any fences. Since ancient times, Isabella has been eaten, although not everyone likes its taste and smell, and they also made an excellent semi-sweet wine from it, especially tasty if it is first pressed. True, these wines are not stored for a long time – maximum, 2-3 years. Then the wine develops a pronounced rotten taste.
Fresh Isabella berries have exactly the same nutritional and beneficial properties as any other variety. But hybrid varieties have another difference, which can be learned only by making their chemical analysis. As it turned out, their skins contain more pectins than the skins of traditional European grapes. For this reason, during fermentation in wine from Isabella, methyl alcohol is formed in large quantities, which is dangerous to health. The concentration of methanol in wines from hybrids is significantly higher than in those obtained by fermentation of varietal grapes Vitis vinifera, which, empirically, can lead to blindness and chronic diseases of internal organs.
That is why in 1999 the European Union by its directive (EC No. 1493/1999, Article 19 and EC No. 883/2001, Article 21) imposed a restriction on the import of red wines produced from those varieties that were obtained as a result of interspecific crossing. In addition to Isabella, varieties such as Lydia, Seibel, Kuderk, Tiras, Raindor and others fell under this prohibition. It is impossible to circumvent this prohibition, since in addition to the specific aroma of Isabella wines or a blend from it, they contain the pigment malvidin-3,5-diglycoside (MDG) in concentrations exceeding the established tolerance of 15 mg / l.
Isabella contains substances that help cleanse and remove toxins and toxins from the body, increase tone and stimulate the restoration of working capacity.
There is an opinion among experts that the harmful concentration of methanol in wine from Isabella is just an excuse for the winemaking lobby of European producers trying to keep the high price level for their wines. Since isabelle varieties, as hybrids are also called, are less whimsical, the cost of wine from them is lower, which makes it more affordable and popular. In light of the fact that the European wine market is literally “stepping” the products of winemakers from Australia and many North American countries, local producers have to maintain the brand and introduce such restrictions, the validity of which is questionable. Despite the threat of penalties, some small private wineries in Europe continue to cultivate hybrid varieties and produce wines from them. However, we are forced to call them “fermented fruit-based drink.”
Thus, if we talk about the dangers of this famous variety, this can only be attributed to fermentation products from this grape. You can use fresh Isabella without fear for your health, if you have no contraindications. These include diabetes mellitus, stomach and duodenal ulcers, diarrhea, any degree of obesity. It is not recommended to use it often and for those who have dental problems
Isabella grape leaves are used in folk medicine to treat wounds and cuts, and a decoction of them is an expectorant and anti-inflammatory agent.
Useful properties of the Isabella variety
The berries of this variety have all the same beneficial properties as other grape varieties. They are distinguished by a high content of antioxidants and anthocyanins, which have a beneficial effect on the blood composition, increasing the number of red blood cells, the state of blood vessels, and normalizing blood pressure. Isabella’s peel and bones contain the highest concentration of antioxidants that destroy cancer cells. The food acids it contains stimulate the metabolism and burning of fat cells, and reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood.
The calorie content of isabelle varieties is slightly higher (70-75 kcal) than that of ordinary red grape varieties, the maximum number of calories in which reaches 70 kcal. Isabella contains mineral salts, including potassium, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Doctors advise people who are weakened by long-term illnesses, athletes or those who are engaged in hard physical labor to drink the juice and eat fresh berries of this grape.
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