This Ain't No Ripple!

Ripple!

It is just like a fine wine. And I can't stop drinking it. It's smooth. It's tasty. It goes down the gullet just right. This ain't no Ripple! This is a Château Lafite Rothschild or something similar. I have no idea what a Château Lafite Rothschild tastes like. But Google tells me this is a fine wine. It ain't no Ripple!

I am, of course, being a tad facetious. I don't drink anymore and even when I did drink, my first choice was not wine. And it certainly wasn't Ripple! That was my mother's wine of choice. Ripple was big in the 1970's. It was produced by E&J Gallo in Modesto, which just happens to be my home town. It is described as a "low end fortified wine." That means CHEAP. Which means it always had a prime spot in my mother's refrigerator.

It didn't last long. Mom loved her Ripple. She wasn't alone. So did a lot of people. This list includes Fred Sanford (Redd Fox) of "Sanford and Son" fame. Fred could never get enough Ripple. He was famous with combining E&J Gallo's favorite concoction with champagne. It was a creation he dubbed "Champipple."

Ripple!

I bring this admission to you because, I will admit, that I have been enjoying the table grape alternative to Ripple wine. These table grapes have been on sale at my local supermarket. They are priced at 98-cents per pound. That's my kinda price. I love table grapes. I love cheap table grapes even more. So, every four to five days I find a reason to visit my store of choice to pick up another 4-5 pounds of cheap red or green, Ripple type, table grapes.

Are they great table grapes? Of course not! They are kinda sweet and kinda crunchy. They're also cheap! Good enough for me. But, I had forgotten about the "fine wine" of table grapes that I planted and grew long ago. It's just been so long that I had forgotten about that signature taste. Not anymore. I am extremely fortunate.

Thanks to an extraordinarily nice lady who is a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG), I am once again enjoying the "fine wine" of CA table grape production.

Diamond Muscat Grapes

You will not find these grapes in your local store. You  probably will not find them at a farmer's market. You will find these types of special grapes growing in selected California backyards, and I am one of those fortunate few who will get to enjoy and savor that special taste again.

I had forgotten about these signature table grape tastes. Oh my!

The first selection I would be gifted with is a variety that I grew at one time, but also had to leave behind (divorce). I've never forgotten about the Diamond Muscat. I even wrote about this variety once, singing its praises. This was another "impulse purchase" on my part. It would turn out to be the greatest table grape that I would ever plant, harvest from and eat.

Diamond Muscat Vine

The Diamond Muscat is one excellent table grape. It has been a decade since I last tasted one. Thanks to a wonderful gift that came out of the blue, I get to sample seven pounds of them. Seven pounds of Diamond Muscat grapes may seem like a lot to some people. It probably is to most. But for someone as table-grape-obsessed as I am, seven pounds of Diamond Muscat grapes is a "snack."

If the gift from this lady had ended with a full box of Diamond Muscat grapes, I would be so very grateful. But, it didn't end there. Oh yes, there's more! This is a table grape that I did not have previous experience with. Yet, I can tell you, without a doubt, this one is also very, very good.

It is called Summer Royal. It is known as a Thomcord type of table grape. Introduced by the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Fresno in 1999, this is one fine grape variety to snack on. I had never tasted it before. Yet, if I ever get the chance to plant another vineyard again in my lifetime, the Summer Royal will be part of that list.

Summer Royal Thomcord

So, which table grape variety is better? Diamond Muscat or Summer Royal? I can't make that decision. I can only tell you that I am enjoying both of them. What a nice gift for a fresh fruit afficianado to enjoy. Thank you kindly, my very special friend.

So, there you have it. No more Ripple-type table grapes for me! At least for a short while, I get to snack on a bit of home-grown heaven.