Description
Ribier is the American market name for Alphonse Lavallée, a large black table grape raised in France in the second half of the nineteenth century. DNA work names Muscat Hamburg as one parent; the other is recorded as Dodrelabi in one international catalogue and as Gros Colman in the French one. Loose bunches carry very large, round berries with a thick, crunchy skin and firm, juicy flesh, and the fruit stores and ships very well.
Characteristics
Black table grape; very large round berries with thick, crunchy skin; firm, juicy, seeded flesh; medium to large, loose bunches; vigorous and productive; mid-season, about three weeks after Chasselas; excellent storage and transport quality
Growing Tips
Alphonse Lavallée is vigorous and productive with a drooping habit, and it is pruned short; Californian advisers spur-prune it. Its loose bunches resist rot unless berries split. French trials found it fairly susceptible to powdery mildew and phomopsis, so protect it early in the season. It ripens mid-season, around three weeks after Chasselas.