Did you know the Vinehealth Register includes plantings of table grapes and multi-purpose grapes? We don’t often talk about these plantings, so here we include a few facts.
- Table grapes and multi-purpose grapes comprise 155.21 hectares or 0.2% of area under vine in South Australia.
- Unsurprisingly, 98% of these plantings are in the Riverland, with small areas in the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare and Adelaide Hills.
- There are approximately 130 hectares planted to grape varieties categorised as for multi-purpose use (e.g., used as both table grapes and dried fruit), with about a 50:50 split between red and white varieties.
- Approximately 95% of the area planted to red multi-purpose grapes are the varieties Carina and Black Corinth. Carina is an early ripening seedless grape bred by the CSIRO as a cross between Shiraz and Sultana and released to industry in 1975. Black Corinth is a seedless grape originating from Greece and as dried fruit is often marketed as ‘Zante currants’.
- Approximately 85% of the area planted to white multi-purpose grapes are the varieties Sunglo and Waltham Cross. Sunglo is a late ripening seedless grape bred in the United States. Waltham Cross is a seeded variety, originating from Lebanon.
- There are approximately 25 hectares planted to table grape varieties, the majority of which are red varieties.
- 50% of the area planted to red table grapes comprise the varieties Red Globe and Ruby Seedless. Red Globe is a seeded variety with big berries, popular in Asian markets. Ruby Seedless is a seedless variety with a high yield potential, bred in the United States.
- The most widely planted white table grape is the variety Malaga Blanc, originating from Armenia.
- Where rootstock details have been provided, 75% of plantings are grafted.
- The most widely reported rootstock for plantings of multi-purpose and table grapes is Ramsey, followed by 1103 Paulsen.