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: "New" Grapes
I've had notes from more than one person telling me of a nursery here in Oregon that is offering a couple of "new" grapes. While I appreciate their thoughtfulness in wanting to keep me posted, I do know about the grapes and I feel I should say something about the varieties, called "Heavenly Blue" and "Sweet Seduction".
Heavenly Blue and Sweet Seduction were unofficially "released" by the late William Schulz of Philomath, Oregon, a man I knew for over 25 years. Heavenly Blue is a selection from Cornell's Geneva, NY station. Bill saw it on a visit there and "lifted" a cutting. The selection was actually discarded by the station because, as Bill found out, it has very small berries and is irregular in bearing. In fact, Bill himself didn't really care for it after growing it for a few years. He just happened to have seen it under special conditions when he visited the station.
Sweet Seduction is a white seedless muscat from the U. of Arkansas. Dr. James Moore let Bill have it, but it is very straggly and bears very light crops. It does have muscat flavor, but the blue variety "Jupiter" also from the University of Arkansas is a much better bearing seedless muscat.
Unfortunately, the nursery continues to offer the grapes simply because the varieties sell, not because they are particularly worthwhile.
I've had notes from more than one person telling me of a nursery here in Oregon that is offering a couple of "new" grapes. While I appreciate their thoughtfulness in wanting to keep me posted, I do know about the grapes and I feel I should say something about the varieties, called "Heavenly Blue" and "Sweet Seduction".
Heavenly Blue and Sweet Seduction were unofficially "released" by the late William Schulz of Philomath, Oregon, a man I knew for over 25 years. Heavenly Blue is a selection from Cornell's Geneva, NY station. Bill saw it on a visit there and "lifted" a cutting. The selection was actually discarded by the station because, as Bill found out, it has very small berries and is irregular in bearing. In fact, Bill himself didn't really care for it after growing it for a few years. He just happened to have seen it under special conditions when he visited the station.
Sweet Seduction is a white seedless muscat from the U. of Arkansas. Dr. James Moore let Bill have it, but it is very straggly and bears very light crops. It does have muscat flavor, but the blue variety "Jupiter" also from the University of Arkansas is a much better bearing seedless muscat.
Unfortunately, the nursery continues to offer the grapes simply because the varieties sell, not because they are particularly worthwhile.