Don’t expect a new grape to become as well-known as its
namesake. But Scarlett, a
patented muscadine variety being released by the University of
Georgia, is likely to
please the state’s muscadine lovers.

Margaret Mitchell’s Scarlett O’Hara stood out among the other
characters of her
famous novel. The new grape stands out, too. Unlike most
muscadines, Scarlett’s fruit
is red.

“I decided to name it Scarlett because of the fruit’s color and
in keeping with the ‘Gone
with the Wind‘ theme which began with the release of
Tara,” Ron Lane said.

Lane, a UGA horticulturist in the College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences,
bred the new grape at the Georgia Experiment Station in
Griffin.

The fruit’s color is reminiscent of Higgins, a muscadine the
Georgia Station released in
1955. However, Scarlett is much brighter and cleaner than
Higgins.

But Scarlett’s taste, not its color, shines most in muscadine
lovers’ eyes.

“Scarlett consistently rates very high in taste panel
evaluations,” Lane said. “It’s an
attractive fruit, and if the fruit looks good, a person is more
apt to sample it.”

Muscadine grapes are popular fresh fruit in the Southeast. They
ripen in early fall,
when few other fruits are in season.

Commercial growers harvest the grapes from around 1,200 Georgia
acres each year.
Gerard Krewer, a UGA extension horticulturist, figures nearly
twice that many grow in
the state’s backyard gardens.

The grapes grow well throughout the state except in the high
mountains, Krewer said.
They’re best planted in the dormant season. County extension
agents can tell you how
to grow them.

Scarlett will be available this fall through Ison’s Nursery in
Brooks, Ga., and Bottoms’
Nursery in Concord, Ga. The two nurseries hold propagation
rights to Scarlett under
the University’s patent.

Lane released Tara, Scarlett’s sibling variety, in 1993. Both
came from crosses
between Summit and Triumph muscadines, which Lane also bred.

In field tests, Scarlett vines prove to be vigorous, productive
and tolerant of most
muscadine diseases. The fruit ripens over two to three weeks
beginning in early
September.

In comparison tests, Scarlett produced higher yields and larger
fruit than other
varieties. Over three years of testing, Scarlett produced an
average of 76 pounds per
vine.