Vitis vinifera Ora - Grape vine

The Ora grape is a medium-vigour variety that produces a golden yellow, sweet and firm dessert grape, ready to be harvested from early August depending on the region. The medium to large clusters of fairly large oval berries are not very susceptible to grey rot, but can sometimes burst due to rain. This vine thrives in most neutral to limestone, well-drained soils in sunny locations. It is resistant to cold.

The wine grape (Vitis vinifera) grew wild over 5000 years ago in North and Central America, Europe, and Central and Eastern Asia. The subspecies sylvestris still exists, it is a climbing vine, growing on the edge of forests and capable of reaching great heights in trees. The current grape varieties are classified under the subspecies vinifera (although there are other cultivated species, but very few).

"Ora" is a hybrid obtained in 1968 by Paul Truel from the INRA in Montpellier, by crossing the variety 'Cardinal' obtained in 1939 in the United States with a hybrid resulting from the crossing of Cinsaut (a widespread variety in Provence) and La Perle de Csaba, a Hungarian variety from 1904 with early ripening. The Ora vine is a moderately vigorous climber with a semi-erect to erect habit reaching 3 to 4 metres (10 to 13 feet) high if not pruned. It can be trained with long or short pruning to cover a trellis or arbour. This variety buds 1 week after the Chasselas, a reference variety for vine phenological stages. Its foliage is a beautiful light green, with pentagonal leaves with five lobes, and short to medium teeth all around. It flowers in May depending on the year and region, with very small greenish flowers gathered in fairly large conical and cylindrical clusters. Like most grapes, it is self-fertile.
It is highly productive with medium to large clusters of fairly large oval (elliptical) grapes, initially greenish yellow, turning golden yellow when ripe, from early August in the south (10 to 15 days before Chasselas). These sweet grapes have a thin skin that can burst due to rain and firm flesh. These grapes are not very susceptible to grey rot but can be prone to coulure (abortion or drop of fertilised berries) and millerandage (difference in size and ripeness of berries on the same cluster). It is useful to remove some leaves so that the grapes are well exposed to the sun and can develop their beautiful golden colour, a sign of their taste quality.

The Ora grape can be consumed fresh or as juice in a vitamin-packed fruit cocktail for breakfast, for example. In general, grapes are rich in B vitamins, a good source of fibre and manganese and well-endowed with antioxidants. They are also believed to play a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases and they are a healthy, natural, and tasty dessert. To vary the pleasures and extend the tasting season, plant Ora next to the Fragola Nera vine which produces black grapes with a surprising strawberry flavour. And to stretch the season to the maximum, go for the Solissimo Kiwi, a self-fertile Actinidia that will delight you with its delicious fruits rich in vitamin C in November.