Grape Types
There are literally thousands of grape types in the world, but there are only about 600 that are considered to be available at any one time. Most of these are grape types used to make wine. You can break wines into groups much quicker when you realize that when people talk about wines they are distinguished by being European and All Other. Grape types can also be separated into categories according to their usage: grapes used to make red wine, white wine, table grapes, grapes for juices, jellies and jams, and raisins.
Grape types can also be discussed by their colors. The most popular green grapes, for instance, are Perlettes and Thompson Seedless Grapes. Perlette grapes are table grapes that are small, round and frosted green in color. Their taste is sweet to slightly tart. Thompson Seedless Grapes are light green and oval, and the most popular grape in the United States. These are the ones you will seen most often in the grocery store. They are produced in California from June to December.
Among the red grapes grown in the United States are Flame Seedless, Ruby Seedless, Crimson, and Red Globe. Flame Seedless were developed by crossing several kinds of grape types, including Thompson Seedless and Cardinal Red. They are medium-sized with a very dark berry. They are a fairly new variety of grapes and already the number two grape in the U.S. Ruby Seedless have been grown for fifty years in California and are readily available in the fall. These grapes are very round with a tender skin. The Red Globe grapes are large, deep red in color and have large seeds. They are available throughout the fall and early winter.
Other easy-to-find purple grape types include Fantasy Seedless, Marroo Seedless, Ribier and Exotic. The Fantasy Seedless variety are oval, plump, very sweet tasting, and come in dark purple and blackish colors. The Marroo Seedless are very similar and are actually a cross between Fantasy Seedless and the Carolina Black Rose Grape. They were first produced in Australia but are also now grown in California and available throughout the fall. Ribier grapes are a sweet variety that grow to be large, round, and firm. They are mild-flavored and have seeds. They are grown in California in the fall, although they originated in France. Exotic grapes are sweet and seedless and were developed in California. They came into being by crossing three different grape types--Red Flame, Tokay, and Ribier.
Let’s not forget about the most well known of all American grapes--the Concord. Ephraim Wales Bull planted 22,000 different grape types in the mid-1800s before he came up with the Concord grape. What differentiated it from other grapes was not only its taste but the fact that it could be produced in colder climates than all other grapes. This grape was developed in New England and named after Concord, Massachusetts. It is the grape most people think of when they think grape jelly or grape juice. Every year more than 400,000 tons of Concord grapes are grown in the northern regions of the United States.