General Information
The Autumn Royal, a variety getting the attention of scientists at the University of California, Kearney Agricultural Center, produces king-size berries that ripen in late-September to mid-October. The Autumn Royal’s natural girth means the girdling and growth regulators that swell Thompson Seedless table grapes are not needed to produce Autumn Royal’s walnut-sized berries.
A crisp, sweet-tasting grape called Autumn Royal makes a delicious snack for fall.
The firm and generally seedless Autumn Royal berries are oval- shaped and about an inch long. Their black or purple-black skin has a whitish cast or bloom. Inside, the flesh is an attractive, translucent yellow-green.
History
ARS horticulturist David W. Ramming and technician Ronald E. Tarailo developed Autumn Royal at ARS’ Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Fresno. They singled out the new grape, then known only as A97-68, from other promising candidates in a research vineyard more than a decade ago.
Ramming and Tarailo subjected A97-68 to vineyard scrutiny and laboratory tests before giving it the Autumn Royal moniker and releasing it to commercial growers in 1996.
