Cunningham

Cunningham is a black-berried American vine. DNA markers recorded in VIVC show that it is a cross of the wild American species Vitis aestivalis and Meslier Petit, a European grape; VIVC gives the same Meslier Petit as a parent of Isabella. The 1881 International Phylloxera Congress in Bordeaux grouped it with Jacquez, Herbemont, Norton, and Cynthiana among the aestivalis direct producers, and Meissner of Saint Louis, Missouri, a corresponding member, gave the congress a collection of American wines that included a Cunningham.

In the Gironde the earliest record in my library is M. Sursol’s vineyard at Cenon, on a strong, very dry soil of sand and clay. The congress commission wrote: “The Cunningham is remarkable for its vigorous growth, of powerful color, and its superb, well-fed bunches, which ripen very well, says M. Sursol” («Le Cunningham est remarquable par sa végétation vigoureuse, d'une coloration puissante, et ses superbes grappes bien nourries, qui mûrissent très bien, dit M. Sursol.»). The visitors were surprised, having seen it ripen late everywhere in the Midi. That 1881 report is the only Gironde planting of Cunningham the books record.

Oldest record in my library: Compte rendu général du Congrès international phylloxérique de Bordeaux, 1881