The Concord and the Niagara varieties of grapes are both North American in origin, as opposed to the Europen varieties of grapes typically sold year-round in grocery stores. Concords are blue in color, and do not have a reddish glow in the sunlight when ripe. Niagaras are “white grapes” and are more light green-yellow in color. It is a bit more difficult to tell when a Niagara berry is ripe. The berries actually turn from a green shade to a somewhat yellow color when ripe. The amount of sugar in the Concord and Niagara berries continues to rise over the month of September. Both varieties are very delicious to eat, great for making juice, jams, and jellies, and for making wine. Each variety has a unique flavor of its own. It’s all a matter of taste as to which variety is your favorite!
Growing Concord grapes in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia since 1938