Shine Muscat

[pinkturtle]

Here is the pictures of my Shine Muscat from this order.  I gave 3 to my relative already.



quick image upload

[Sir Graftalot]

Anyone sampled and/or has cuttings of Ruby Roman Grapes? Another expensive Japanese cultivar.

[hammer524]

The one I ordered from Jabo45 a few months ago is starting to bounce back after the heat here. Do any of you set up a trellis for it? Or can you grow it like a bush/tree. I dont grow any other grapes

[Jaboticaba45]

Good to see everyone having success! I've been sending these all over the country lol. Currently going to send some to family for more trials. Once done, I will sell all the rest.

[JCorte]

Nice to see several people have been successful.  Most of my cuttings are growing but they’re all still in the community pot I rooted them in.  Need to get them into better soil and separate them.

Does anyone know if the fruit quality will still be good without using gibberellic acid.

Janet

[pinkturtle]

Nice to see several people have been successful.  Most of my cuttings are growing but they’re all still in the community pot I rooted them in.  Need to get them into better soil and separate them.

Does anyone know if the fruit quality will still be good without using gibberellic acid.

Janet

It is grow very fast once repotted to a bigger pot.  You can see the difference from my 2 pictures.  I know some growers use gibberellic acid to made the grape seedless, other than fruit quality no info that I could found online.

[fruitnut1944]

By far the best tasting grape I've eaten is Summer Muscat. It was bred in CA for use as a dry on the vine raisin. It has a very strong muscat flavor. The downside was cracking of the skin. I'm now growing a sister line, Diamond Muscat. I have Summer Muscat from another source to try again. In a year I'll have an idea if they are true to type and worth growing.

Grapes do fantastic in my greenhouse. Others I liked were Summer Royal and Princess. Both big beautiful bunches of fruit. Summer Royal has a bit of a muscat flavor but nothing like Summer Muscat. Combine the two and I'd think they'd sell like....Shine Muscat...only probably way better taste.

Summer Muscat is one of the best tasting fruits I've ever eaten. Usually top fruits of a particular type are neck and neck as to which is best. Summer Muscat holds a 10x lead over any other grape I've grown or bought. And I've been a grape fan for 70+ yrs. Grown my own for 50+.

[JCorte]

Fruitnut, thanks for sharing.  I've bought many figs from you so respect your assessment.  I'm going to try it if I can find a source.  Have you tasted Diamond Muscat yet?  How does it compare?

Janet

[fruitnut1944]

Hi Janet:

I haven't tasted Diamond Muscat yet. I will next summer. If what I have proves to be true to type and tastes good, I'd be glad to send you cuttings next year.

[hammer524]

Hey Fruitnut, do you grow your muscat on a trellis in your greenhouse. I ended up following your advice and go with traditional cooling on my greenhouse build. Too hot out to finish construction at the moment but wanted to say thanks. No way a climate battery would have aided in our July here

[fruitnut1944]

Hi hammer:

Yes my grapes are on a trellis usually about 8ft tall. Usually cane pruned. They're very fruitful. It would be a good greenhouse crop in AZ. My only pest has been powdery mildew. I spray sulfur for that.

We were about 10F cooler than Tucson is summer. That's still pretty hot and requires a big wet wall and big exhaust fans. I could hold mid 90s all summer long for highs. A lot depends on the dew point.

[JCorte]

Thanks Fruitnut,  I'd be happy to trade you something good in return.

Janet

[Jaboticaba45]

Just listed a plant here- Ty for looking
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=52070.0

[Jaboticaba45]

Shine muscat season is here
Can buy at Hmart across the nation…these were at the atl store.


Only $33🤭.
I didn’t buy as the grape quality has been downhill ever since 2019.
And it’s not just happening for the imported ones either…
This article just about sums it up
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/01/19/culture/foodTravel/Korea-Grapes-Shine-muscat/20230119151837233.html

Also stay peeled for the red kiwi! My favorite kiwi by far…even surpassing the yellow ones. I’m looking to find a source for them.

I’m out of available plants for now. Hope maybe some this spring or earlier if possible.

[fruitnut1944]

They're talking 16-18 brix for Shine Muscat. I just bought some no name seedless grapes that barely taste sweet and they are 20 brix. My good grapes are 25+ brix. I'm very skeptical if 18 brix grapes can really be good. They sound like they're pumped up on growth regulators and water. Just like the Thompson and flame grapes grown and sold in the US. The berries are 2x their natural size but not better than natural Thompsons.

Has anyone actually tasted Shine Muscat? Do they have a strong Muscat flavor? Because if they don't have a strong and very agreeable Muscat flavor then they're a scam.

[sc4001992]

fruitnut, I did buy many of these last year and they tasted very good. I didn't take the brix so this time I will. I really like my Kyoho grapes but it has seeds so the Shine is easier to eat (seedless) and they are larger grapes. I also read the acidity is very low, so it may appear sweeter even with a brix of 19. There is a pdf document from Japan that explains it in detail. If you want a copy of the 18 page pdf document then message me with your email so I can send it to you.

[Jaboticaba45]

Fruitnut,
I've had them way before they were hyped up straight from the source in Korea.
Hands down the best grape. Now, though, quality sucks. And imports are lower tier also.
they do got a nice muscat flavor, if not, they would just be any other green grape in existence.

[fruitnut1944]

So the brix is now 16 when it's supposed to be 18. That's not much difference. And neither is going to make them stand out. Or make a huge difference in the eating experience.

What I find hard to believe is that the Muscat flavor is somehow now lacking. How do you "farm" that out of a grape?

Is the Muscat flavor now gone? Why are they worse than before?

[Jaboticaba45]

So the brix is now 16 when it's supposed to be 18. That's not much difference. And neither is going to make them stand out. Or make a huge difference in the eating experience.

What I find hard to believe is that the Muscat flavor is somehow now lacking. How do you "farm" that out of a grape?

Is the Muscat flavor now gone? Why are they worse than before?

Muscat flavor is not gone, but it's lacking. The farming practices have become lax now. Because there is a large demand, many farms started, but with the idea of mass production, the standards went down. There are many cultural practices for the grapes that are not done here in the US resulting in better quality grapes. Do that with any variety, and you'll get similar results. The idea of luxury fruit here in the US is not openly appreciated. Would you pay usd $300 for a 4 clusters of grapes? I wouldn't, but people do that.

[fruitnut1944]

So the brix is now 16 when it's supposed to be 18. That's not much difference. And neither is going to make them stand out. Or make a huge difference in the eating experience.

What I find hard to believe is that the Muscat flavor is somehow now lacking. How do you "farm" that out of a grape?

Is the Muscat flavor now gone? Why are they worse than before?

Muscat flavor is not gone, but it's lacking. The farming practices have become lax now. Because there is a large demand, many farms started, but with the idea of mass production, the standards went down. There are many cultural practices for the grapes that are not done here in the US resulting in better quality grapes. Do that with any variety, and you'll get similar results. The idea of luxury fruit here in the US is not openly appreciated. Would you pay usd $300 for a 4 clusters of grapes? I wouldn't, but people do that.

In some of those Asian cultures they pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for all sorts of fruits even melons. Nothing convinces me that they're anywhere near worth the money. It's all about appearance, not eating quality.

What you're saying is that it's not the variety rather the culture that's makes great fruit. If that's the case, why is a Shine plant worth $100?

Culture does make a lot of difference. So does variety. I'm betting Summer Muscat fruit tastes a lot better than Shine Muscat. Summer Muscat will easily hit 25 brix. But so will most grapes. 18 brix is pathetic for a grape. Those expensive Shine are mostly about appearance and not eating quality. That's the Asian fruit standard: appearance and presentation is number one.

[Jaboticaba45]

So the brix is now 16 when it's supposed to be 18. That's not much difference. And neither is going to make them stand out. Or make a huge difference in the eating experience.

What I find hard to believe is that the Muscat flavor is somehow now lacking. How do you "farm" that out of a grape?

Is the Muscat flavor now gone? Why are they worse than before?

Muscat flavor is not gone, but it's lacking. The farming practices have become lax now. Because there is a large demand, many farms started, but with the idea of mass production, the standards went down. There are many cultural practices for the grapes that are not done here in the US resulting in better quality grapes. Do that with any variety, and you'll get similar results. The idea of luxury fruit here in the US is not openly appreciated. Would you pay usd $300 for a 4 clusters of grapes? I wouldn't, but people do that.

In some of those Asian cultures they pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for all sorts of fruits even melons. Nothing convinces me that they're anywhere near worth the money. It's all about appearance, not eating quality.

What you're saying is that it's not the variety rather the culture that's makes great fruit. If that's the case, why is a Shine plant worth $100?

Culture does make a lot of difference. So does variety. I'm betting Summer Muscat fruit tastes a lot better than Shine Muscat. Summer Muscat will easily hit 25 brix. But so will most grapes. 18 brix is pathetic for a grape. Those expensive Shine are mostly about appearance and not eating quality. That's the Asian fruit standard: appearance and presentation is number one.

I'd love to try some of the summer muscats. I've tried the summer royal and a few others while visiting a friend's farm out in Cali. Unfortunately, they were a let down (great flavor, but not really firm, and nothing really special)...I would rather eat the green table grapes they have at the store compared to them.
I also saw everest, which I think is something really promising. Unfortunately I didn't get to try it, but hey a seedless concord type grape. I'll take that. Would be interesting to compare these all together once they start to fruit. Have you tried shine muscat?
I totally agree that cultural practices really bring out the best in the grapes.

[fruitnut1944]

I haven't tried Shine. I am going to be planting a new area in my greenhouse to grapes this winter. So, I'd trade Summer Muscat and Diamond Muscat cuttings for Shine if you are interested. Grapes do extremely well in my greenhouse.

Summer and Diamond are sister lines both strong muscat flavor.

[Jaboticaba45]

I haven't tried Shine. I am going to be planting a new area in my greenhouse to grapes this winter. So, I'd trade Summer Muscat and Diamond Muscat cuttings for Shine if you are interested. Grapes do extremely well in my greenhouse.

Summer and Diamond are sister lines both strong muscat flavor.

For sure. I'd love to hear your take on the shine vs others when grown in our cultural conditions.
This spring I should have cuttings or even plants.

[fruitnut1944]

Great, we'll do it next spring...if I can remember...