Nobody wants to choke. And even less so on the last night of the year with the lucky grapes. In 12 seconds you have to swallow as many pieces of this fleshy fruit with skin and seeds inside. It is also not a matter of investing time in removing those small grains from the fruit while waiting for the Chimes, or of taking a risk and starting the year with some scare. Therefore, a good part of the berries consumed this year on New Year's Eve will be seedless. The trend appeared a long time ago. It seems that it will not be a passing fad. It has come to stay. “Right now they are the ones that sell the most, and the future of the grape will be seedless. Nobody wants inconvenience,” says Fernando Vázquez, from Frutas Vázquez, who has been working in the family fruit store for 34 of his 50 years in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid.
That seedless grapes have a future is also confirmed by Pere Prats, vice president of the Mercabarna fruit and vegetable wholesalers union and head of the production and distribution company Prats Fuits. “In recent years, grain-free grapes have become part of the cake. In fact, there are areas in Murcia and Alicante with plantations of this new variety.” Let no one think that the pipe is extracted from this type of grapes in some factory or laboratory. This whole phenomenon began more than 25 years ago in California, where grapes without seeds were planted discreetly, since this is not necessary in this type of fruit tree because it reproduces by cuttings. It is not about any genetic modification either, but about selective crossings. “In addition, it is much more practical to eat because the seeds are annoying,” adds Prats.
Grapes are what unites the Spanish, even if only in a moment as ephemeral as the last breath of the year. “It is also the only sale of the year that we fruit sellers have for sure, because we all eat them,” warns Gabriel Muñoz, commercial director of Fruits CMR Delegation of Madrid. According to data from Mercamadrid, during the Christmas campaign, they sell more than four million kilos between national production and imports, especially from Peru, where 80% of the grapes that arrive in Spain from abroad come from, followed by South Africa, with about 15% of the market share.
And another thing in common: most of the packages with the dozen pieces to be swallowed will contain the Aledo grape variety, characteristic of the Vinalopó valley, in Alicante, although it began to be planted in Aledo (Murcia), hence the name. “Between 60 and 70% of what is consumed is of this variety, a percentage that is decreasing when compared to 15 years ago, which was 95%,” details Muñoz, who explains that many producers are stopping production. This type of grape, which ripens between the end of October and December, due to the demand for seedless grapes. As a curiosity, it is grown on a trellis, with each cluster covered by a bag to preserve the grain and maintain the color until Christmas.
The forecast of the Mercabarna central fruit and vegetable market is to end with the same result as the 2022 Christmas season campaign: during the last week of the year (between December 24 and 31) it is expected that around 550,000 will be sold. kilos of grapes. In addition to the aledo, other varieties are shipped, such as the dominga, and the white seedless ones, sweet globe, timpsoneither sugraone“which are what the market demands,” Prats specifies.
This year's harvest has not been abundant. The weather has had something to do with the drop of up to 40% in production in the Mediterranean. “Torrential rains in spring, and a subsequent drought, have affected the yield of the vines, both in Spain and Italy,” explains Prats. This fact affects the price. “If supply falls and demand is the same, prices increase,” he explains. “The price of grapes has risen nearly 50%. It is six euros per kilo, when last year it was three euros. It is also true that the neighborhood fruit seller is always looking for the best at the best price and there may be more competitive prices,” Muñoz clarifies.
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