Rombough Seedless Grapes

Rombough Seedless (Esprit x Interlaken). Bred at Aurora, Oregon by Lon J. Rombough. A white grape, the clusters are as large or a little larger than the clusters of Interlaken, but more compact and with smaller berries, about the size of the berries of Canadice. The signature of the variety is the flavor. In some conditions, flavor is similar to Interlaken, but often the berries have an unusual spicey flavor suggestive of wintergreen. The spicey flavor seems to develop the most in cool seasons. The vine is very vigorous, with moderate production. Not widely grown as of 2007, so the full range of adaptibility and hardiness is still unknown. Given the parentage, the vines should be at least as hardy as Interlaken, to -15 F, if not hardier. Ripens approximately four weeks before Concord. Best pruning method still being studied, though cane pruning may improve the productivity and take advantage of the high vigor.

In the very odd cool spring combined with delayed summer of 2011 Rombough Seedless grape did something odd. Previously it had seed remnants that were large but soft and easily eaten with the berries. This year the remnants became full, hard seeds. This sort of thing has happened with Venus in some places, but this was the first time i've seen it in Rombough. I don't know if seeded fruits in Rombough will happen in other climates or not, so if your Rombough Seedless does produce normal seeds let me know.