Fruit
Grape
UvaRaïmVitis vinifera
Grapes don't ripen once picked: the bunch you take home won't get any sweeter. You choose well at the stall or not at all.
When
Around: Aug–Oct · At its best: Sept
Around: Aug–Dec · At its best: Sept–Oct
Around: Feb–Apr · At its best: Mar
Around here
In the Penedès, and above all in Sant Sadurní, August and September mean the verema, the grape harvest: Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada are picked for cava. But those are wine grapes, small and thick-skinned; table grapes are another thing, and many come from further away, such as the bagged table grapes of Vinalopó (PDO, Alicante), the ones eaten at the twelve chimes of New Year. Muscat is the variety that bridges both worlds.
At the market
- Look at the stalk: green and pliable means freshly cut; brown and dry means it's been in cold storage for days.
- Give the bunch a gentle shake: if lots of grapes drop off, it's past it.
- The whitish bloom on the skin is a good sign: it's natural and rubs off with handling.
- Ask to taste one from the bottom of the bunch, which ripens last.
At home
- In the fridge, unwashed, in an open bag or a tub lined with kitchen paper: it keeps for a good week.
- Wash just before eating; moisture makes it rot quickly.
- Pick out any damaged grapes as soon as you spot them, or they'll spoil the rest.
If you have too much
- Freeze loose grapes, washed and dried well: they become frozen sweets and chill wine without watering it down.
- Make jam or jelly; black grapes give a beautiful colour.
- Dry them in a very low oven (around 100 °C) for several hours for homemade raisins.
- Roast small bunches with a drizzle of oil and serve with cheese or meat.
In the kitchen
- On its own for pudding, with a piece of mature cheese.
- In a salad with endive, walnuts and blue cheese.
- Tossed in the pan with the fat from some botifarra sausages or a roast chicken.
- Málaga-style ajoblanco (cold almond soup) topped with Muscat grapes.
- The twelve at New Year's Eve, if you have any left: peeled and seedless is easier.
“As they say in Spanish: grapes and cheese taste like a kiss.”
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 69 kcal
- Water
- 81% water
- Carbs
- 18.1 g
- Sugars
- 15.5 g
- Fibre
- 0.9 g
- Protein
- 0.7 g
Stands out for
- Source of vitamin K14.6 µg · 19% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- FigJun · Aug–SeptFig trees crop twice: brebas (early figs) at the start of summer, on last year's wood, and the true figs at the end. That's why figs take a break in July.
- MelonJun–SeptPicking a melon is famously a lottery, and there's some truth in that. But they don't all behave alike: cantaloupes keep ripening at home, while piel de sapo barely does.
- PlumJun–SeptPlums come in every colour, from the green of greengages to purple so dark it's nearly black. The white dust on the skin is the plum's own bloom, not a spray: if it's intact, the fruit has barely been handled.