Vitis vinifera Fanny - Grape Vine

The Fanny grape is a Hungarian vine variety with a semi-erect, moderately vigorous habit, capable of reaching a height of 3m when trained on a trellis. This variety produces yellow table grapes that turn orange at full ripeness. The flesh is firm and crunchy, juicy with a slightly acidic taste. The large clusters of slightly elliptical berries are not very susceptible to major vine diseases. This vine will thrive in most well-drained, neutral to calcareous soils in sunny locations. It is cold hardy.

The wine grape (Vitis vinifera) grew wild over 5000 years ago in North and Central America, Europe, as well as Central and Eastern Asia. The subspecies sylvestris still exists today as a climbing vine, growing on forest edges and capable of reaching great heights in trees. The current varieties, referred to as grapevine cultivars, belong to the vinifera subspecies (although there are other cultivated species, but they are very minor). Economically, wine grapevines dominate over table grapevines.

Fanny is an interspecific hybrid obtained in 1970 by József Csizmazia, a Hungarian breeder, by crossing the Villard Blanc variety, obtained in the Drôme region, with a hybrid itself resulting from the crossbreeding of (Teli Muskotaly x Olimpia). Fanny contains genes from 3 vine species: Vitis berlandieri, an American vine that provided phylloxera-resistant rootstocks, Vitis rupestris, another American species, and Vitis vinifera, our "classic" grapevine.
This moderately vigorous vine with a semi-erect habit has small to medium-sized leaves, with 5 well-defined lobes and a rather elongated shape. It buds 4 days after Chasselas, a reference variety for vine phenological stages. These leaves have a beautiful bright green colour from the start and often develop beautiful autumn colours, ranging from coppery yellow to red, giving it some ornamental interest. This vine flowers in June-July, producing small greenish-yellow flowers that develop into large, loosely packed fruit clusters.
The berries start off greenish-yellow, then turn golden yellow with hints of orange at full ripeness in late September and October. These medium to large grapes are crisp and very juicy. They can be harvested until mid-October. This variety is highly resistant to downy mildew and botrytis (grey mould), two of the worst vine diseases. It is slightly susceptible to powdery mildew and excoriose, but its overall good disease resistance is a definite advantage for amateur cultivation. It is a good idea to do summer green pruning to remove certain leaves so that the grapes are well exposed to the sun and can develop that beautiful yellow colour, which is a guarantee of their taste quality.
This vine is very hardy (down to -20°C, or even -25°C) and grows in full sun, in neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained soil. It will thrive in ordinary, even rocky soil, as long as it is not too dry.

Fanny grapes can be consumed as table grapes or used for juice, as their flesh is very juicy. For example, they can be used in a vitamin-packed fruit cocktail for breakfast. In general, grapes are rich in B vitamins, a source of fibre and manganese, and they are also rich in antioxidants. They are believed to play a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases, and most importantly, they are a healthy, natural, and delicious dessert. To create original fruit salads, plant a Kiwi, such as the Actinidia deliciosa Kiwi Wonder, a variety with very sweet and non-acidic fruits (female variety, so pair it with a male variety for pollination). For diversification, try Diospyros virginiana SAA Pieper, an early-fruiting American persimmon tree that will give you fruits at the same time as Fanny.