Underestimated Brant.

Brand is a variety that is much underestimated by most growers, dismissing it as a good ornamental plant that produces sweet black fruits.

Yet although ripening late, mid to late october here in the south of England, it makes a very good rose or light red wine with a distinct cherry aroma.

I mentioned before that the Brand vines at home are being replaced by Dornfelder. This is because despite being a good variety Brand is liable to uneven ripening so you have to go over the vines a number of times before you harvest them all.

Here is what is left of the Brant in the garden. You can see by the size of the trunk how big it was. At the end of this season this vine will be grubbed up as the Dornfelders will have grown to need the space.

This next picture is of the Brandt vines on the allotment. Each vine has two fruiting canes like a double guyot training method. The allotment Brants ripen very late but they do ripen most years.