Grape Vine 'Kentish Claret'
Image © Stephen Shirley Use This Image

Grape Vine 'Kentish Claret'

Vitis 'Rondo'

This Product will be available July / August 2012, but can be pre-ordered now.
Click here for information on Pre-Ordering.

Supplied as a pot grown plant approximately 3 feet (90 cm) tall including pot.

There's a really good story behind this; twenty five years or so ago we were lucky enough to be given some sample vines for evaluation purposes - one of these was a then un-named variety known by its breeder Code Name Gm 6494-5 (don't panic Gm doesn't mean its genetically modified).

Recognising its potential to be an excellent black grape for the UK climate (due to it exceptional hardiness and vigour) we started working up stocks and chose to name it Kentish Claret - as the grape was obviously well suited for making claret style wines. During our move and troubles in 1994 we lost our stocks (or so we thought). Five years on, when planting up their first garden, Stephen and Serena happened to find a tatty old plant in a muddle of un-sorted stock. And from this one plant we have again built up our stocks of this wonderful vine Along the way it was officially named 'Rondo' - but we prefer to keep our name of Kentish Claret.

This is a very high yielding black grape producing fruit of good size and an excellent flavour. Ideal for claret style wines but similarly makes flavoursome jams and jellies - or eat straight from the vine.

• Originally from Germany.
• Parentage - Saperavi Servernyi x St Laurent.
• Late-Season fruit ripening.
• Winter wood ripening is good - so can be grown both outdoors or under protection (greenhouse, polytunnel or conservatory).
• Can be trained using either the cane replacement method or spur pruning.
• Self fertile.
• Fruit contains seeds.

Supplied as a pot grown plant approximately 3 feet (90 cm) tall including pot.

For a little more in depth information on Grape Vine 'Kentish Claret' you may find the following articles of great use...
How To Plant, Grow & Train Grape Vines
Not So Sour Grapes - magazine article on the basics of growing grapes
How To Prune and Train a Grape Using The Guyot Method (Video)

Back to Grape Vines