Vitis Galante - Black table grape

Vitis Galante is a grapevine variety intended for fresh consumption, appreciated for its clusters of black grapes with a muscat aroma and its regular production. Its vigour allows it to quickly cover an arbour or pergola. It is a climbing plant to be grown in the sun, in well-drained soil. Its natural resistance to the main fungal diseases means it is well-suited to family gardens and organic cultivation.

Belonging to the Vitaceae family, Vitis Galante is an interspecific cultivar resulting from the breeding programme of the Freiburg Institute of Viticulture in Germany. It was obtained by Dr Norbert Becker in 1991 and results from the cross-breeding between the Solaris and Muscat Bleu varieties. This vine is also listed under the name 'Freiburg 550-91 R' and marketed under the synonym 'Galanth'.
This cultivar combines the genes of Vitis vinifera and more disease-resistant American/Asian species.

It is a vigorous woody-stemmed climbing plant; trained on wires or on a pergola, its shoots can reach 4 to 6 m in one season, depending on the pruning method. A well-established plant easily covers 10 m² in 10 years. Its green foliage is deciduous, formed of broad leaves with 3 to 5 shallow lobes. The inflorescences are panicles of small greenish, nectar-rich flowers, which appear in May-June.
The fruiting takes the form of rather loose clusters, medium to large in size, bearing bluish-black grapes with firm skin; their flesh is crunchy and sweet, with a distinct muscat aroma. This variety is early or mid-season, depending on the region, with the harvest taking place from mid-September to October.
'Galante' is reputed to be very resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew, hardy down to −20 °C in a sheltered position.

Plant the Galante grapevine at the foot of a pergola or arbour, well-exposed to the south, in well-draining soil, with regular watering in the first year. On a warm wall, train it as a cordon or fan and maintain an airy trellis to avoid diseases and promote berry colouration. Among the table grape varieties to plant nearby to stagger the harvests are: Exalta, Victoria and Alphonse Lavallée. Also consider pairing it with garden blackberries and the ornamental vine Vitis vinifera Purpurea.

The name of this vine refers to the qualifier 'galante', referring to a pleasant vine due to its flavour; in genealogical terms, it shares its parentage with other Freiburg creations like 'Garantos' and 'Osella'. The German Freiburg programme gave rise to many so-called 'tolerant' varieties intended to reduce phytosanitary treatments, responding as early as the 1990s to a demand for viticulture with lower input requirements.