musky, “catty” sulfur compound that is also
found in sauvignon blanc wines. Black
currants are also notably rich in vitamin C and
in antioxidant phenolic compounds — as
much as 1% of their weight — about a third of
which are anthocyanin pigments. Currants are
mainly made into preserves, and the French
make black currants into a liqueur, crème de
cassis.
The gooseberry, R. grossularia, is larger
than the currant, and is often picked unripe for
cooking in tarts and sauces. The jostaberry is
a black currant–gooseberry cross.
Grapes Grapes are the berries of woody vines
in the genus Vitis. V. vinifera, the major
source of wine and table grapes, is native to
Eurasia (p. 772). There are also about 10
grape species native to temperate Asia, and 25
to North America, including the V. labrusca
that gives us Concord and Catawba grapes.
About two-thirds of the world’s grape