This week, we update on the harvests of the remarkable ARRA Sugar Drop™ (ARRA 30) in Italy and Israel and we are delighted to share with you our feature on the ARRA™ field day which took place in Israel last week.
This is the first year of ARRA Sugar Drop (ARRA 30) production for Lilla & Giuliani Company. At minimum 18 brix, the grapes are very tasty and are ready for the markets.
ARRA Sugar Drop is an early variety which is fertile, with large, naturally loose bunches that have a great hanging ability. Its delectable flavour, crisp texture and creamy elongated berries result in a unique and tasty eating experience.
In the Puglia region, Italy, the ARRA Sugar Drop harvest of ANCEO started in the first week of July. Thanks to the skills and know-how of ANCEO producers, the grapes are very good, with brix of 18+ and an excellent taste. While the natural colour is creamy, a more yellow tone can be attained depending on the agronomic management and markets request. The Italian customers prefer a yellow colour which may be achieved when the variety is exposed to direct sunlight.
The ARRA Sugar Drop first production was carried out in Israel in 2019 and by today the growers have already increased the area of harvest by fivefold. In light of the great success of the ARRA Sugar Drop in 2019 and the exceptional quality that the producers have achieved this season, we expect a significant increase in the planting and grafting of this variety.
Pictured above is the impressive ARRA Sugar Drop vineyard of Grapa’s R & D Director, Uzi Yaron. The interesting thing about ARRA Sugar Drop is the difference between the eating quality of the grapes at 15-16 brix and those at 18 brix. ARRA Sugar Drop at 18 brix brings to the early season market a great sweet flavour and a rind that just melts in the mouth.
On July 6th, Grapa held an ARRA field day on Moshav Lachish in southern Israel for producers who grow ARRA Sweeties™ (ARRA 15) and are interested in expanding the season with ARRA Sugar Drop. The field day was held at Uzi Yaron‘s vineyards in the cooperative of Tali Grapes. Tali Grapes is a cooperative agricultural organization belonging to the grape growers of Moshav Lachish. Established in 1966, Tali Grapes provide a wide array of marketing services and production support to its members. This year, six members of the Tali Grape brand will harvest ARRA Sweeties, ARRA Sugar Drop, ARRA Passion Fire™ (ARRA 29) and ARRA Mystic Dream™ (ARRA 32).
There are twenty-three producers in the Israeli ARRA growers club, many of whom are second, third and up to fifth-generation young farmers, who continue with their parents’ passion for farming and are growing their future with the ARRA varieties. Their farms are spread out all over Israel and despite the different growing regions and climates, and the varying marketing channels and quality requirements of each producer, all the growers have understood the advantages of precisely implementing the guideline growing protocols of each variety. Such a professional approach has proven itself, not only in the quality of produce reached but also in the exceptional uniformity, so today we can say with a high degree of certainty that the quality and appearance of most of the ARRA varieties marketed in 2020 will be uniform among the growers.
After the field day, Uzi and his wife, Yael, kindly hosted the Grapa team for supper in their garden for a great evening of good food and wine.
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This variety has large, elongated, intense cherry-coloured berries. With excellent sugar-acid balance, cherry flavour and sensational crunch, ARD 36 CHERRY CRUSH™ is a variety that delights in appearance, taste and eating experience. Proven to be fully rain resistant, the variety also has excellent fertility and exceptional storage ability. It is the ultimate long shipping variety with the best shelf life in the industry. CHERRY CRUSH™ has it all!
Discover the ultimate red variety with ARD 35 – FIRE CRUNCH™. This early-mid variety boasts a unique fire-red colour and crunchy, large berries with a low acid level and well-balanced taste that provide a supreme eating quality. It’s a fertile and easy-to-grow variety with full uniform colour that stays red on the vine, and doesn’t get dark over time, making harvest timing very flexible. This variety also withstands rain and offers unparalleled hanging ability, cold storage capability and shelf-life capacity.
This early red seedless variety offers an exceptional eating quality. It has large, crunchy berries, a medium sized bunch and boasts an excellent natural, full, deep red colour. Although it ripens at the same time as Flame, ARRA Passion Fire surpasses its early counterpart in all other parameters. Good productivity, extraordinary hanging ability, shipping durability and shelf life make it a choice early red.
This very early red variety with its large, sweet berries, ripens naturally 10 days before Flame. The striking full red colour, together with extreme crunch and harmonious flavour make this red a must-have variety. Fire Kiss has proven to be very fertile and grower friendly, as well as bearing great post-harvest and shipping qualities.