Herbert is one of the collection of grape varieties known as

Rogers' Hybrids Rogers' Hybrids are a group of 45 grape seedlings, thirteen of them named as cultivars, developed by Edward Staniford Rogers of Salem, Massachusetts, in the mid-19th century. Although mostly gone from cultivation now, their success, along with th ...

, created by E.S. Rogers in the mid-19th century, and is the result of a cross of Carter, a selection of

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, C ...

, and

Black Hamburg Black Muscat (or Muscat Hamburg) is a red ''Vitis vinifera'' grape variety derived from the crossing of the Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria by Seward Snow, Head Gardener to Earl de Grey at Wrest Park, Bedfordshire UK in 1850, according t ...

(there are two varieties known by this name, but in this case it was probably

Schiava Grossa Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in ...

), a selection of

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curr ...

. It was originally known as Rogers No. 44. Herbert is female, and thus requires a second grape variety as a pollen source. Even then, Herbert tends towards straggly, poorly filled clusters. The black fruit ripens with Concord and keeps well. Although never extensively cultivated, it was a favorite of amateurs in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Hedrick considered the quality, at its best, to rival that of its vinifera parent.

References

Hybrid grape varieties {{Wine-grape-stub