There is a new all-Australian variety of table grape available, following a successful two year trial, called ‘Sweet Angie’. “We’re selling a little bit in Sydney, a little bit in Melbourne, and exporting to Asian countries. We hope to have new growers picking next year and the year after,” says Sweet Angie Enterprises co-owner Anthony Dichiera. The grape is an early growing, longer white berry, first registered in May 2013.
What sets Sweet Angie apart is the fact that other grapes available early in the season (at the beginning of January) are mostly round, and besides Thomson seedless many varieties contain seeds. Sweet Angie is also ‘competitive with all typical table grape varieties’ in terms of pricing, according to Mr Dichiera.
Sweet Angie came about when a few years ago growers noticed some bunches coming up differently on certain parts of the vine. The new variety was propagated from that, according to Mr Dichiera. This year’s harvest is the first for the public market, and the harvest has been good, with about 20kg per vine being spot picked over the first three weeks of January.
Prior to this January Sweet Angie had been available in small batches to the wholesale market only, but Mr Dichiera hopes Sweet Angie is soon to become a household name. The variety is a sweet, seedless green table grape with a rather elongated shape. “It’s crunchy, seedless with lower acid than other varieties of table grape,” adds Mr Dichiera. “So far with consumer feedback it’s all positive, there’s just not enough of it because not enough people know about Sweet Angie.”
The majority of Sweet Angie plantings are in Mildura, Victoria, while there is another lot of vines in Queensland. With seven new growers to come on board, making a total of nine, Mr Dichiera is hopeful of more interest building in Sweet Angie, and other countries getting excited to be involved too. “It is exciting, it just takes time and it takes money,” he says. “The test for how Sweet Angie goes commercially will be in a couple of years.”
The grape will also hopefully do well in ‘cluster dried’ form, as it produces a plump, golden sultana. “Most cluster fruit is dark, this is a golden colour. It could be another outlet, it’s a very versatile grape,” adds Mr Dichiera.
For more information
Anthony Dichiera
Sweet Angie Enterprises Pty Ltd
Phone: +61428256300
E-mail: dichieradelites@bigpond.com