Vineyard offers grape fans a big choice of flavors; banana, honey
By Wu Wencong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-19 09:34
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Fruit gourmands will know that the only thing better than a perfect piece of fruit is a fruit that tastes like several other perfect pieces of fruit, as well as numerous other things.
Grapes with this unique ability can still be found in Changping district, northwest of the city, despite the chilly weather.
"You can find all flavors of grape such as banana, apple, strawberry, jasmine, rose and even honey," said Li Yan, in charge of the 40-hectare State-owned Fragrance Vineyard.
Two large greenhouses stand on either side of the main gate, allowing the fruit to grow both in hot and cold weather, and a shaded path leads visitors through the vineyard in a large circle.
"Grapes grow really well here," said a female visitor to the vineyard named Wu Xiaoqun.
"Look at the size of them," Wu said, pointing to a type called Kyoho, which is imported from Japan and tastes like strawberries.
Kyoho grapes are much tastier than most grapes on the market, Li said, before adding that they were the least spectacular in the vineyard.
Li said there are 36 types of grape in the vineyard; some are imported, others are indigenous, but none can be found in the mainstream market.
When posed with the question of which type was the most delicious, Li immediately voted for Hanxiangmi. This hardy type of grape bears the reputation for being as sweet as honey.
"It is quite easy to tell which workers are taking care of Hanxiangmi because they smell so sweet," Li said.
However, despite the unique flavors on offer, there is also nothing standard about their cost - grapes in the vineyard cost 60 yuan per kilogram for all types, about five times the supermarket average.
Li said all the grapes are pesticide- and chemical-fertilizer-free. They are grown with UHT poultry dung and pig manure.
"Treating the fertilizer and taking care of the grapes costs a huge sum of money," Li said.
"We also hire many people to pull out weeds twice a week since we don't use pesticides, which is different from most grapes in the market."
2010 marks the end of the first year of the vineyard. During the harvest period, which runs from mid August to late October, the yard welcomes more than 1,000 visitors every weekend.
"That might sound large but you don't actually see many because they are all scattered across the yard," Li said.
Nevertheless, Li is confident of a future in grapes with the support of the local government.
"Farmers in Changping will become richer if grapes can enjoy the same popularity as watermelons in Daxing and peaches in Pinggu," he said.
