Description
Midnight Beauty is the market name of Sugrathirteen, a black seedless table grape bred by David Cain in California in the 1990s and introduced by Sun World. Its long, cylindrical berries are firm and sweet with low acidity, and they reach a good size naturally, without the gibberellin sprays many seedless grapes need. It is an early variety, ripening roughly a month before Thompson Seedless, and the large, conical bunches have a striking deep black colour.
Characteristics
Black seedless table grape; elongated berries, about 4.7 g without growth regulators; firm, sweet, low acid; large conical bunches; early ripening; low winter-chill requirement
Growing Tips
The breeder's patent notes that Midnight Beauty crops more reliably when cane pruned, so keep a few good fruiting canes each winter rather than pruning to short spurs. It has a low chilling requirement, which suits mild-winter gardens. Because it ripens so early, it is a good candidate where autumns are short, provided the summer is warm.