Grapes - why are they so lacking in flavour?

[Riley Blue]

O/H likes grapes but whatever I buy, green or red, have no flavour - they are tasteless balls of water. Is it the time of the year, where I buy them from (Tesco or Sainsburys) or am I expecting too much of my grapes?

[obob]

Riley Blue said:

O/H likes grapes but whatever I buy, green or red, have no flavour - they are tasteless balls of water. Is it the time of the year, where I buy them from (Tesco or Sainsburys) or am I expecting too much of my grapes?

Mine are delicious, from the market. Never buy fruit from a supermarket. Ripen at home? fk off, it goes mouldy before it ripens

[prand]

obob said:

Mine are delicious, from the market. Never buy fruit from a supermarket. Ripen at home? fk off, it goes mouldy before it ripens

I saw a TV news item about a farmer in South Africa who grows grapes for the UK market. He was bemoaning the fact we just like big sweet flavourless grapes, when the smaller, more flavourful ones are ignored. If you think how much flavour of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Cabernet & Pinot comes through it the wines, then imagine what the original grape is like.

I guess it's marketing to the lowest common denominator that is forcing out all the interesting varieties thant might not look as tasty, or last as long on the supermarket shelves. Same with a lot of fruit I'd imagine.

[Shaolin]

Pips have a lot to do with it. Seems that seeded grapes are tastier to me, I've always assumed that people put convenience over taste.

[obob]

prand said:

obob said:

Mine are delicious, from the market. Never buy fruit from a supermarket. Ripen at home? fk off, it goes mouldy before it ripens

I saw a TV news item about a farmer in South Africa who grows grapes for the UK market. He was bemoaning the fact we just like big sweet flavourless grapes, when the smaller, more flavourful ones are ignored. If you think how much flavour of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Cabernet & Pinot comes through it the wines, then imagine what the original grape is like.

I guess it's marketing to the lowest common denominator that is forcing out all the interesting varieties thant might not look as tasty, or last as long on the supermarket shelves. Same with a lot of fruit I'd imagine.

You may be right, the ones I get from the markets are definitely a LOT smaller than supermarket stuff. Although are seedless.

[trando]

Peel them, stick them in a plastic dish with some Chatreuse (green or yellow) and freeze them for a few hours. They won't be bland after that!

Great for dinner parties..............

[-Pete-]

Supermarket fruit and veg is chosen for appearance and shelf-life.
Tasty fruit & veg comes from a proper greengrocer, a farm shop or your own garden. Any of which is also often cheaper than supermarket produce.

The same's true of most food, notably meat. Find a greengrocer and/or farm shop, grow your own fruit and veg, find a proper butcher.

[Wadeski]

Try muscat grapes, they are delicious.

[Pints]

prand said:

I saw a TV news item about a farmer in South Africa who grows grapes for the UK market. He was bemoaning the fact we just like big sweet flavourless grapes, when the smaller, more flavourful ones are ignored. If you think how much flavour of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Cabernet & Pinot comes through it the wines, then imagine what the original grape is like.

I grew up in the heart of Cape Town's wine districts, and a bike ride through some of the vineyards was always that much better with a stop off for a small handful of grapes destined for the winery.

However, it's not just grapes which are guilty of being tasteless in UK supermarkets. Plums, peaches, nectarines are all a disappointment.