This week we bring you some sparkling highlights from the July field days in California, followed by harvest in Italy, that is already moving North from Sicily to Puglia.
California ARRA Field Days From July to August - so much still in store
Before diving into the July ARRA™ adventure, keep in mind that the August Field days are coming up. We will be reopening the breeding site’s rows and the commercial plots of Giumarra Vineyards. Our guests will experience the mid and late varieties, as well as all the varieties showcased in July, that will be kept in cold storage, so that you can see for yourselves the bunches’ storage capabilities: the fresh green stems, perfect crunch and pleasing flavours that are maintained for weeks after harvest.
To join, feel free to contact us at grapa@grapaes.com
This year’s field day concept was a big and refreshing change from previous years. We spread the event over a whole week, allowing for tailormade small-intimate tour groups so that everyone could get special attention and enjoy an itinerary that suited each guest’s region’s growing conditions and specific market demands.
Throughout the week there was a great atmosphere and vibe, with different languages heard in every corner: English, Spanish, Italian, Afrikaans, Arabic, a mix of languages and dear people from all corners of the world, who all share a passion for grapes that was also strongly felt at the Gala dinner at the Bakersfield country club.
This season in California, there was a 10-day delay in ripening, so the San Joaquin Valley, which is usually already very busy harvesting was at a standstill, except for the very early ARRA varieties. This extra early line is made up of the tricolour varieties: ARRA Honey Pop™, ARRA Fire Kiss™ and ARRA Mystic Charm™, which by mid-July were ready for the harvesting teams.
The early varieties, such as, ARRA Sugar Drop™ and ARRA Passion Fire™, were very close to harvest, so the guests could already get a good impression, based on the ripest of bunches.
Every year there is a favourite, or audience-choice variety, but this year the very early varieties were truly captivating and attracted much attention, interest and demand.
The very early ARRA Fire Kiss and the early ARRA Passion Fire were showcased in July, and we were hoping to share the third star of the ARRA red factor sequence: ARRA Fire Crunch™, however, due to the season delay, it was still in veraison. During the August field days, this sensational variety will be at its best and will be enjoyed along with the slightly later ARRA Cherry Crush™.
ARRA Fire Crunch, also known as THE ULTIMATE RED is an early-mid variety that boasts a unique fire-red colour. The extremely crunchy, large berries and well-balanced taste provide a supreme eating experience. It’s a fertile and easy-to-grow variety with uniform colour that stays red on the vine and doesn’t get dark over time. This variety also withstands rain and offers unparalleled cold storage capability and shelf-life capacity. An additional key advantage is that due to its fire red colour it is specifically interesting for regions, like Peru, where growers face challenges with most red varieties that when ripe reach an over dark colour.
Italy
In Sicily harvesting ARRA Sugar Drop since May
Now we take you back to Europe, where the ARRA growers are busy harvesting, and the grapes are flying off the shelves.
Gaetano Drogo, the agronomist of FruttaIn explains: “Our Sicilian production of ARRA Sugar Drop is very early, and we make it yellow like the sun (Grapa comment: which is exactly what the Italians appreciate). Its flavour, its crunchiness and its natural sweetness considerably increase the demand on the market. We are very satisfied with this product.”
Mid July in Puglia
Leonardo Nanna the owner of Azienda Agricola Nanna Leonardo, is happy and proud of this year’s crop of his early ARRA varieties ARRA Sugar Drop. ARRA Passion Star™ and ARRA Passion Fire™. He recounts: “Despite a very difficult season caused by excessive rain, this year my farm can boast an exceptional production of ARRA Passion Star and ARRA Passion Fire. The harvest started few days ago with excellent results. These varieties have proven to be the best early red seedless grapes on the market.”
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