Recommended Bunch Grapes for Home Gardens
(Central and Northern Arkansas)
Juice Grape
• Seedless Table Grape
• Wine Grape
Juice Grape Varieties
Niagara - A floral, strongly labrusca-flavored white grape. It ranks
below Concord in cold hardiness. Requires soil of optimum fertility where it can
have yields equal or surpassing that of Concord. Suitable also as a table grape.
Ripens about 1 week earlier than Concord. Used to produce white juice. Harvest
date in Northwest Arkansas is typically August 20.
Sunbelt - Even-ripening juice grape for southern areas where Concord
is not adapted. Patented by the University of Arkansas in 1993. It is an open
pollinated selection of Concord. Berries are blue, large, seeded, and round.
Clusters are small. The primary difference between Sunbelt and Concord is the
ability of Sunbelt to ripen evenly in high-temperature climates like those found
in Arkansas. The vine is productive, vigorous, moderately resistant to black rot
and anthracnose, and highly resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew.
Harvest date in Northwest Arkansas is typically August 24.
Concord - Produces medium-sized clusters bearing large blue-black
berries. Vigorous, productive, and hardy, Concord can be grown on a great
variety of soils and under a wide variety of climatic conditions. Historically
important - (grown in Northwest Arkansas since the 1920’s) - very hardy native
American labruscana hybrid grape cultivar producing the characteristic flavor of
red grape juice associated with Vitis labrusca vines. Typical of labrusca vines,
the fruit is classified as ‘slipskin’ due to the tough skin that separates
readily from the pulpy flesh. Used to produce grape juice, jelly, sweet-finished
wines, and eaten fresh. Has susceptibility to skin cracking and postharvest
shelling. Displays unevening ripening in excessively hot growing seasons. Should
not be grown outside of Northwest Arkansas. Harvest date in Northwest Arkansas
is typically September 1.
Catawba - This historically important variety is reportedly a chance
seedling, selected in 1802, which originated in the Piedmont region of North
Carolina and was named after the nearby Catawba River. It is a deep pink-skinned
grape commonly used to produce sweet white, red, and pink juices. Suitable also
as a table grape. Harvest date in Northwest Arkansas is typically September 10.
Seedless Table Grape Varieties
Venus - Blue seedless table grape with labrusca and muscat flavors.
Early maturity (July 19 at Clarksville). Slipskin. Moderate hardiness and medium
vigor. Moderate resistance to fungal diseases but does require sprays for
successful production.
Jupiter - Reddish-blue to blue seedless table grape with mild muscat
flavor (exceeded only by Reliance in flavor appeal ratings). Early maturity
(July 24 at Clarksville). Large, non-slipskin berries and medium to large
clusters. Hardy and medium vigor. Resistant to fruit cracking. Moderate
resistance to fungal diseases but does require sprays for successful production.
Reliance - Pink seedless table grape with slight labrusca flavors.
Early to mid-season maturity (July 29 at Clarksville). Medium-large clusters
with medium-small berries, slipskin. Very hardy and medium vigor. Highest rated
flavor of all Arkansas varieties. Moderate resistance to fungal diseases but
does require sprays for successful production. Skin cracking near maturity is a
limiting characteristic in Arkansas.
Mars - Blue seedless table grape with labrusca flavors similar to
Concord. Mid-season maturity (August 5 at Clarksville). Very hardy and high
vigor. Medium clusters with medium-sized berries, slipskin. Highest resistance
to fungal diseases among Arkansas varieties but does require sprays for
successful production.
Neptune - Yellow-green seedless table grape. Mid-season maturity
(August 4 at Clarksville). Hardy and medium-low vigor. Large clusters with
medium size berries. Non-slipskin. Moderate resistance to fungal diseases but
does require sprays for successful production.
Wine Grape Varieties
Red varieties:
Chambourcin - Blue-black cultivar with large clusters of medium-size
berries. Moderately vigorous, but requires cluster thinning. Only red
French-American hybrid recommended for Arkansas. Good fruit intensity with spicy
and sometimes earth characters. A complex hybrid variety with a vigorous
spreading growth habit. Bunches are medium, well-filled and cylindrical, usually
winged, medium-round berries with heavy, waxy bloom. Shows good resistance to
downy mildew, powdery mildew, and phylloxera. Large clusters can lead to
overcropping.
Cynthiana/Norton - Blue-black to deep purple cultivar with small
berries and very small clusters. Moderately vigorous. Both have been shown to be
identical members of the Vitis aestivalis species. Good fruit intensity with
distinctive aroma and flavor characters. Requires soils with good drainage for
optimal growth and productivity. Crops are best enhanced with high training,
such as Geneva Double Curtain, or Hudson River Umbrella / high cordon. Birds
find the small fruit very attractive. Fruit can display high pH and high
titratable acidity
White varieties:
Cayuga White - A hybrid cross between Schuyler and Seyval Blanc made
in 1947 and released in 1972 by the Geneva (NY) Research Station. Usually is
used to make a fruity, white wine of mild intensity somewhat similar to
Riesling. Noted for hardiness and bunch rot disease resistance, Cayuga should be
picked at low sugars (below 21% soluble solids) to avoid over-ripe, sometimes
labrusca-like, flavors. Young shoots reportedly fragile in strong winds. Fruit
somewhat susceptible to splitting if rainfall occurs during harvest period.
Chardonel - French-American hybrid cross released in 1990 from Geneva,
NY. A hybrid of Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay. Noted for good cold-hardiness.
Requires good locations (low tolerance of poorly drained soils) with long
growing season. Can make high quality dry white wine.
Seyval Blanc - Yellow-white cultivar with large compact
clusters of medium berries. Can have serious bunch rot problems due to the tight
clusters. Medium to low vigor and medium hardiness. Moderate susceptibility to
downy and powdery mildews. Makes excellent white wine. Requires cluster
thinning. This variety is decreasing in importance.
Traminette - Newly (1996), released variety derived from a Joannes
Seyve 23.416 x 'Gewürztraminer' cross by H.C. Barrett, then of the University of
Illinois, and evaluated by Cornell viticulturists. Vine has high vigor, requires
no spraying against powdery mildew, but may need a couple of sprays for
protection against downy mildew if season is unusually wet. This white wine
variety is claimed to be superior in its balance of sugar, acid, and pH levels
to that of the parent ('Gewürztraminer') and also has less bitter phenols. Very
vigorous on rootstocks
Vidal Blanc - White-yellow cultivar with large clusters. Moderately
hardy and ripens late. Resistant to bunch rot but susceptible to tomato and
tobacco ringspot viruses. Makes semi-sweet, Riesling-like wines with fruity,
floral flavors and good balance. Parents are Ugni Blanc of France, (a.k.a.
Trebbiano of Italy) and Rayon d'Or, it usually needs cluster thinning to achieve
superior results.
Vignoles - White-yellow, extremely fruity cultivar with small, compact
clusters of small berries. Tends to have bunch rot problems due to compactness.
Medium vigor and good hardiness. Ripens two weeks before Concord. Slightly
susceptible to downy and powdery mildews. May make the best late-harvest wine of
any French Hybrid. Currently very popular as a high-quality dessert wine because
of it’s retained fruitiness, high acid and good balance.
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