From grape jam and juice to sacramental wine, the Concord grape is responsible for more deep purple lips and tongues than perhaps any other cause. Guessing from its name, you would not be surprised to know it was cultivated in Concord, MA by Ephraim Wales Bull (1806-1895). Tart-yet-sweet, bold flavored, beautifully fragrant, dusky and deeply hued, the Concord grape has been a commercial success ever since.

Grapes had been around for millennia and we have stumbled through human history as wine drinkers for almost as long. That being said, what was so innovative about the Concord grape? Well, the Concord is a hearty plant with good-tasting grapes. European strains which were bred in the warmer climes of France and Italy could not survive to produce decent crops in the much cooler parts of North America. The breakthrough of the Concord was that it expanded the region in which grapes could successfully be grown.

Unfortunately, Bull never enjoyed financial gain for his discovery, a fact which eventually colored his life with bitterness. All the huge profits were reaped by others, and he sadly died nearly penniless.

Welch's, the company whose name has become synonymous with Concord grape products, actually now has its headquarters in Concord, MA. This is but a happy circumstance, as they were not originally housed there. Within the last 10 years, Welch's decided to relocate from an urban to a suburban setting. After examining a variety of towns, they decided it represented some sort of sweet poetry to bring the company to back to its literal and horticultural roots.

The house where the grape was developed still stands on Lexington Road in Concord (pictured above).