Shortly after we moved in to our place, Blaine and I built a Pergola wall along the back garden.  I had the concept that we would plant grape vines at each end and hang baskets and make a garden feature.  The grapes have taken longer to mature than I thought.  On the right we planted a hardy Canadian Concord and on the left a Pinot white.  You must plant at least 2 vines in a yard because they cross pollinate.

As I said the vines have taken longer to mature than I thought but this year the Concord is stretching half way across and is growing grapes.  Not bushels but a crop.

Concord grapes have a bad reputation.  They do not make good wine because, while they are very sweet, they do not have body.  When we were young, Canadian wines were sweet made from Concord grapes like Baby Duck but as the industry matured Concords became a side crop.  They taste great but they have seeds so are not sold in grocery stores with the bland seedless red grapes.  However they have a major following for people that make jams and by one company Welch’s Grape Juice.

When Blaine and I were youngsters Mother would take us on Sunday to Zion United Church.  Once a month they had communion and when we came in there were little shot glasses of “wine” in brackets behind the pew ahead of us and pieces of bread.  During the service we would go through the communion and would get to drink the oz of “wine”

Now United Church was teetotalism at the time so it was non alcoholic wine, it was Welch’s Grape Juice.  We loved it.  Concord grape tastes like grape juice should taste

So I picked some grapes tonight and savored the memory of communion when I was 10 .

Concord grapes