GrapesVariety
Thompson (Seedless)
An oval-berried, pale to amber green, seedless variety of grape widely cultivated worldwide for table use and for drying as raisins. This variety is very sweet and produces thin clusters of large berries. Thompson Seedless is famous for it’s large, long bunches. This is currently the number one variety grown in Australia.
Menindee (Seedless)
Menindee Seedless grapes are light green to yellow with round, seedless sultana type berries maturing early in the season. This variety has a firm, sweet and slightly tart flesh. This is a major variety grown all over Australia.
Dawn (Seedless)
Dawn Seedless berries are golden, medium in size, oval and seedless with a tough skin that can be difficult to chew, but have a firm, dense flesh. Bunches are usually short, conical to pyramidal, very uniform and well-filled to slightly compact. Mainly produced in Western Australia, with pockets in the Greater Sunraysia region.
Calmeria (Seeded)
The berries are pale green in colour and oval in shape with a few small seeds and a relatively thick skin. This variety is also called ladyfinger for its unusually elongated berries. The flavour is mild and tangy. This late seeded variety is produced in the Greater Sunraysia region, and is a major export variety to Asia.
O’Hanez (Seeded)
O’Hanez berries are golden green, medium to large in size, cylindrical and seeded. The berry skin is thick and tough while the pulp is firm and fleshy with a neutral flavour. Bunches are medium in size, short conical and moderately compact. Produced in the Greater Sunraysia for late season markets.
Crimpson (Seedless)
Crimson Seedless grapes are bright red, large, cylindrical-oval and seedless. The berries are crisp and firm, oval and seedless with a thick, tough skin, and firm crisp flesh with a neutral flavour. Bunches are medium in size, conical with a shoulder, and well filled to slightly compact. This is a major variety grown in Australia that originated from the USDA breeding program (in 1989).
Flame (Seedless)
This variety results from the crossing between Thompson Seedless, Cardinal, and other varieties. It displays typical medium-sized, round and deep red, seedless berries. Bunches are medium to large, conical and well filled. The berries have a crisp skin, and firm, crunchy but juicy pulp, with a sweet-tart flavour. It is typically consumed fresh or dried as raisins. Flame seedless grapes usually ripen early, before Thompson Seedless. This early variety is developed by the USDA breeding program, and is a major variety in Australia.
Ralli (Seedless)
This variety results from the crossing between Thompson Seedless, Cardinal, and other varieties. It displays typical medium-sized, round and deep red, seedless berries. Bunches are medium to large, conical and well filled. The berries have a crisp skin, and firm, crunchy but juicy pulp, with a sweet-tart flavour. It is typically consumed fresh or dried as raisins. Flame seedless grapes usually ripen early, before Thompson Seedless. This early variety is developed by the USDA breeding program, and is a major variety in Australia.
Red Globe (Seeded)
Red Globe was developed from the Emperor variety in 1980. This variety is very popular in Asian markets. Bunches are large, conical and well filled. The grapes bear big, pinkish-red, very large (round) plum sized berries containing large seeds. The berries are crisp and crunchy and the flavour is quite delicate with a fleshy pulp. It is a major variety in Australia.
Autumn Royal (Seedless)
This is a large, dark purple to black, seedless variety developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (in 1996). The berries are oval, firm, and crunchy with good sugar levels.
Midnight Beauty (Seedless)
Midnight Beauty grapes are a seedless, large, crisp and extremely sweet, grape. This grape is grown in Australia after being developed by Sun World. A distinctive early-season proprietary black seedless grape.
AvaibilityChart
RegionGrowth
- Our warm, dry summers and deep, rich soils provide the perfect environment for Australian growers to produce world class table grapes. And because they are grown locally they are much fresher and tastier than overseas imports.
- Australian Table grapes are grown in many different places – from the Northern Territory and Northern Queensland to southern Victoria and throughout Western Australia.
- The season for fresh grapes runs for six to seven months. It starts in November, peaks in February and March and closes in May.
- Warm, dry summers and deep, rich soils provide the perfect environment for Australian growers to produce world class table grapes.
- Green, red and blue/black varieties of table grapes come from the major growing regions of Sunraysia and the Murray Valley in Victoria, the Riverina in NSW and south-eastern Queensland.
- Other growing regions include Carnarvon, the Swan Valley and south-west of Western Australia, central NSW, the Riverland in South Australia and central Northern Territory.
- Australia’s geographic expanse of grape production – and our diversity in climate and geology – means fresh Australian table grapes are available from November to May.
- Early season regions include the Northern Territory, Queensland (St George, Emerald and Mundubbera) and NSW (Bourke and Menindee).
- Late season grapes (which constitute 70% of production) come from the Sunraysia region of Victoria (Mildura and Robinvale).
- Western Australia produces table grapes for the majority of the season.
- Grapes are one of the oldest edible plants to be cultivated, along with olives. Fossils indicate that the consumption of grapes dates back as far as 5000BC.
- Grapes were brought to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788 by Captain Arthur Phillip, founder of the colony of New South Wales. He planted a small vineyard with cuttings from South America and South Africa as one of his first ventures in agriculture.
- There are more than 8,000 grape varieties worldwide.