Vitis vinifera Sultanica bianca - Grape Vine

This 'Sultanina Bianca' vine is none other than the plant that produces the Sultanina grape (also known as Thompson Seedless), a variety known as "seedless" grown on a large scale for the production of raisins. This grape variety produces large clusters of sweet, crunchy, and mildly acidic white grapes, which will delight both young and old gourmets. It is an extremely vigorous and productive variety, but it is quite susceptible to diseases, especially in fertile soils and temperate climates. It will only flower and fruit properly in hot and sunny climates. Its clusters ripen from early September onwards.

'Sultanina Bianca' belongs, like all vines, to the Vitaceae family. It is a very ancient hybrid, possibly originating from Afghanistan, which belongs to the category of white table grape varieties. The Sultanina vine is a very vigorous plant that needs to be trained and pruned long (above 6 to 8 buds) in late winter because its first buds do not produce flowers.

The Sultanina vine is a sarmentous and climbing bush, with serpentine stems equipped with tendrils that can reach lengths of 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 feet) over time. It forms a trunk, often knotty and twisted, covered with a fibrous and brown bark that flakes off in strips as it ages. Its long green stems bear beautiful round-shaped leaves with serrated edges, of medium green color, turning yellow before falling in autumn. It blooms in late spring, from May to June depending on the region, in the form of dense and well-formed clusters, in a pyramid shape, loaded with tiny green flowers. After pollination by insects, the berries we call grapes are formed. Each medium to large-sized cluster, pyramid-shaped and moderately compact, weighs about 400 grams. The fruits are small, uniform, oval-shaped, covered with a thin but resistant skin. The flesh is crunchy and sweet, with a fairly neutral flavor, almost seedless. This variety is susceptible to mildew, powdery mildew, anthracnose, gray rot, and excoriose.

Contrary to popular belief, seedless grapes are not genetically modified organisms but are the result of a complex selection process carried out by vine specialists. They are fruits borne by sterile hybrid plants, whose seeds, or pips, are unable to develop: reduced to their simplest form, these seeds are barely detectable in the mouth.

Planted in a sunny spot, the Sultanina vine will be very decorative along a wall, on a arbor, a pergola, in the ground or in a large container on a terrace. This variety, both delicious and decorative, will be appreciated for garden ornamentation, thanks to its beautiful foliage.