Ultra-Early Varieties of Grapes

Established Ultra-Early Varieties

• Marechal Joffre has long been considered the earliest of the red wine types. It produces a moderate yield and demonstrates vigor and disease resistance. Like all early-ripening grapes, it requires few frost-free days to grow. Berries are small and clusters are somewhat loose and long. Ravat 578 is an ultra-early white wine grape but unlike other early grapes, it is sensitive to cold. Its small, compact clusters consist of white to pink-colored fruit. Other early varieties include Aurore, Kay Gray, Lynden Blue, Valiant, Millot and Canadice. Aurore is not renowned for its flavor, but Lynden Blue is considered a sweet-tasting grape.

Developing Varieties

• Produce developers are continually producing new grape varieties that jump start the harvest season. Cultivars such as Flame Seedless and Sugrathirteen ripen as early as May in warm climates such as California. Recently, an early muscat red grape beat out existing early varieties, ripening 10 to 14 days sooner in trials conducted by fruit development alliance Sun World.

Planting Grapes

• Grapes are tolerant to most soil types, but do best in sandy loam soil that is well-draining. Choose cultivars that grow well in your region. For the earliest production, plant in spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Select a planting location in full sun where vines have plenty of warmth, which will speed up the ripening process. Get rid of long or broken roots and spread healthy roots in a large hole, then cover them with soil. Remove all but the healthiest cane and support it with a trellis or stake.

When To Harvest

• Ripening date depends largely on environmental conditions and generally occurs earlier in warm, sunny locales. The earliest grapes, such as Flame Seedless, ripen as early as May in southern regions but their harvest extends through the summertime in cooler regions. In the cooler Northeastern United States and other northern regions, the earliest grapes are generally harvested in summertime around mid-August.

  Most grapes are at their best weeks after reaching their expected color; taste-testing is one of the best ways to determine ripeness. As berries ripen, they soften, the coating on them appears more vivid and seeds turn brown. Some grapes are best when picked early, such as Edelweiss, a white grape whose flavor becomes too strong if picked late in the season.