Carlos

Muscadine

Size

Small (~5.3g, ~20mm)

Shape

Round

Flavor

Flavor similar to Scuppernong; moderate sugar (~13.8% soluble solids)

Texture

Bronze skin; 90% dry stem scar - the best of this group for easy/mechanical picking

Ripening window

Midseason (even ripening)

Best uses

Historically dual-purpose wine/fresh, but berries run small for fresh market so it's grown mainly as a juice grape today; the standard bronze juice variety in the industry

Pollination

Self-fertile - no pollinator needed

Tree size

High vigor vine (good yield, ~90% of full crop)

Notes

Released 1970 by NC Agricultural Experiment Station (Howard x NC 11-173 cross, selected 1954); unpatented. Main weakness is berry rot, which can hurt juice quality in bad years; occasional Pierce's disease symptoms noted.