It’s hard to overstate the importance of France in winemaking: their vines, terroir, traditions and techniques have set the historic standard. And yet, salute the noble savages: grapes native to the US, quiet workhorses or vines that have fallen from fame. They have their own stories, and perhaps something to offer the French.

Ever hear of Norton? Yes, Ralph Kramden’s neighbor on The Honeymooners, but also the only wild grape cultivated for fine wine. Also known at Cythiana, Norton was king of early Virginia, winning “Best Red of All Nations” in 1873. Resistant to funky fungi, it was once thought a natch for Europe; unfortunately, it shriveled in lime-based soils, and is hard to transplant from cuttings. The ‘Cabernet of the Ozarks’ is now a cult favorite grown in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky.

Catawba even sounds native American: thought to hail from North Carolina, it’s a “foxy” grape, with a sweetness suitable for Ice Wine and a high acid content useful for making sparklers. Who knows, maybe Catawba might offer a new wrinkle for champagne houses?

Scuppernong sounds like something bandied about on the Deadliest Catch. Bronze-skinned and musky, early French settlers mashed the rustic Scupper (also known as the not-quite-distinguished-sounding Hickman’s Grape and Bullace) into the first American wines centuries ago. It thrives in humid Gulf-and-golf states, producing sweet-finished whites.

And one the French gave up on: Baco Noir, a thick-vined Franco-American hybrid resistant to cold and suitable for aging. Named after pork bellies? Nope – it’s the legacy of cultivator Francois Baco, its tannins and acidity drawing comparisons to Cabernet Sauvignon, surprising for a wine from northern vineyards and Canada.

So yes, enjoy International Rock Star grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – but keep a glass available for native independents too, local talents who just might tour through France one of these days.