Grape Albany Surprise

Vitis vinifera

Dark blue-purple table grape with traditional sweetness, aroma and slightly jelly-like texture which seems to remind those who try it of ‘how grapes used to taste’! A heavy producer and disease resistant, this is one of my favourites, with abundant crops in mid- March.

Grapes have been cultivated by humans for over 8000 years. The berries grow on deciduous vines and in the right climate, are easy care and can be managed in many different ways. Everyone will be familiar with the wire structures and pruning regime of vineyard grapes which are highly ‘tamed’. Here we use grapes predominantly for shade, having several different varieties growing on our wrap-around verandah, and we just let them ramble. Sometimes we give them a hard prune in winter, sometimes we don’t. We always get great grapes. That’s because grapes always grow on new season’s growth, not on old wood.

Grapes love full sun and well drained soil. Ours get plenty of sun but we’re on a sandy clay soil and they are planted directly around the house into horrible sub soil, and in the rain shadow of the house. They still don’t care! What they hate more is humidity so if you are in a more humid part of the country try to plant them in a spot with plenty of air movement.

Grapes are high in nutrients such as Vitamins B and K, and copper, as well as antioxidants such as resveratrol which may have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, and anticancer properties. The leaves are edible and can be used fresh when young, or preserved by brining. They  can be used to make dishes such as dolmades – rolled leaves stuffed with a herby rice mixture,  common in the Mediterranean, Caucasus, Balkans, and Middle East. The leaves can also be fed to stock.

Albany Surprise grapes are not seedless (we don’t have any seedless varieties available at present sorry)Note that grapes (fresh or dried) are toxic to dogs.

Certified organic plant in 11cm pot

Photo: Kahikatea Farm