Choosing can be confusing with the sheer volume of varieties.
Still, choosing can be confusing with the sheer volume of varieties.
Understanding the different types sweetens the purchase.
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Here are some of the most common varieties to look for.
Eating Grapes Vs.
Drinking Grapes
Grapes used for winemaking come from theVitis viniferaspecies.
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They tend to have more water, making them a hydrating snack on a hot summer day.
These are also the grapes we dry into raisins.
Which Grapes Are The Sweetest?
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They are favored for restaurant use and can be found in gourmet or specialty markets throughout the year.
But their original name was Sultana.
The small light green grapes have a lovely sweetness and crunch when bitten.
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They also are the fruit used to make raisins.
Moon Drops
Grapery plant breeder and scientist Dr. David Cain developed this variety.
Its grown mainly in Central California and shows up in stores from late July until late September.
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They also dehydrate into little pearls of tastiness for even longer shelf life.
Sweet Jubilee
The Sweet Jubilee is a black, globe-shaped grape big enough to cut in half.
They show up in produce sections during a small window between August and September.
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Valiant
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Harvested from late August to September, the Valiant has a central seed that is easy to remove.
These grapes are great options forscones, tarts, andpiesbecause of their high-sugar content and easy-to-remove skin.
Green in color, they taste remarkably like cotton candy, but are packed with good-for-you nutrients.
Grown in Central California, these tasty bites bring out the best in agoat cheese crostinior served alongside saltyprosciutto.
Find them in stores from mid-August to late September.
Thomcord
If youre looking for something seedless, sweet, and jammy, this is your grape.
The Thomcord grape was developed in California to help breeders understand how to cultivate seedless varieties.
The experimental grape was so successful it can still be found in grocery stores and markets today.
The blue-purple hybrid of the Concord and Thompson Seedless delivers a rich jamminess with notes ofsweet plum.
Mainly used in jellies and juice, this grape has a floral flavor with pops of lemony citrus.
And bonus, theyre bred to be packed with nutrients and numerous beneficial compounds.
Released in the early 1950s, its a cross between Thompson Seedless and Ontario grapes.
It turns golden-yellow when it ripens in late August.
Its a cross between the Himrod and Bath grape varieties.
Its flavor is sweet, and a little spicy.
United States Department of Agriculture.Press Release: National Agricultural Statistics Service.
S. Delheimer.National wine day: growing great grapes.
U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
May 25, 2022.
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.Production - Table Grapes.
