Varieties of Table Grapes

American Varieties

• The Candace variety produces small, red-skinned, seedless fruits that are mildly flavored and resistant to black rot. Steuben grapes are large and blackish-blue with a sweet, pungent flavor. For a highly disease-resistant American table grape variety, try Schuyler, which produces sweet, medium-sized blue fruits. Himrod is an American hybrid, but it has a European parent -- Thompson Seedless. It produces white to amber-colored fruits that grow on large, loose clusters. Himrod tolerates a variety of soils and is ready to harvest early.

European Varieties

• Thompson Seedless is a sweet, green grape that grows in dense, long clusters along vigorous vines. Perlette grapes are pale yellow-green, seedless and sweet. This medium-sized grape ripens early and is a good choice for raisins or dessert grape. The Regent variety was bred in Germany for growing in cooler climates. It fruits heavily and is disease-resistant. Allow to fully ripen for maximum sweetness. Muscat grape varieties, such as Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburg, are not the easiest grapes to grow, but are well worth the effort. The clusters of amber-green fruits are intensely aromatic and burst with flavor.

Common Varieties

• Table grape varieties that are most commonly found in grocery stores and farmers include Flame, which is a small- to medium-sized, red, seedless grape that has a crunchy texture and is mildly sweet. It's a good choice for the home garden. The Concord grape variety is a well-known dark-purple grape that is popular for juicing. It has seeded fruits and is well-suited to long, hot growing seasons. Red Globe grapes are another seeded variety that are large, red-skinned and firm with a mild flavor. Niagara is one of the most popular white grape varieties. It produces medium to large fruits and has juicy flesh with a sweet flavor.

Muscadine Varieties

• Muscadine varieties are native to the Southeastern United States, where they thrive in the hot climates. Muscadines are very disease-resistant, some are self-fertile, and their vines can grow extremely large. They are thick-skinned and have a musky, smokier taste than other table grape varieties. The amber-colored Scuppernong variety and the black-colored Thomas variety are among the sweetest and most popular muscadine grape varieties. Other recommended varieties include Nesbitt, which is self-fruiting and produces an abundance of black, semi-sweet grapes. Doreen is another sweet muscadine variety that is bronze-colored and cold-hardy.