Franchini Farm Srl
Harvesting of the seedless Autumn King grapes should begin in the first week of September. “Ripening is a few days earlier due to the summer heat. Yields are satisfactory, as is the weight of the grapes and the size of the bunches,” reports Giuseppe Franchini (Picture below), Production Manager at Franchini Farm Srl, an Apulian company that decided a few years ago to cultivate this variety of Californian origin and whose exclusive licensee is the government organization California Table Grape Commission.
“The grapes are highly appreciated every year by operators in Central and Northern Europe, as markets prefer greener and less sugary grapes. Deliveries to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway will begin soon and will continue at least until the end of November. The excellent cold storage of the grapes would allow us to extend the season even beyond the Christmas holidays, but so far we have never been able to extend the commercial calendar because stocks have always run out earlier. For the coming season we expect an increase in harvest volumes, allowing us to reach up to 60 tonnes/hectare, with prices that in 2023 were around €1.40/kg in the field. In total there are 40 hectares, all in production and planted at different times.”
Franchini considers the Autumn King variety an ideal choice for those who are still undecided and confused about which grapes to grow. “I would recommend it to farmers who are still unsure. It is a generous and vigorous variety with low operating costs, which tolerates high temperatures very well. It requires few manual agronomic practices and is suitable for producing premium products. In addition, it does not require many phytosanitary interventions and does not bind entrepreneurs to strict commercial restrictions. In Puglia there are still many companies at the mercy of varietal uncertainty, keeping fallow land where they once had traditional vineyards, also due to the many selections proposed by national and foreign breeders.”
For more information:
Franchini Farm Srl
70042 Bari (Bari)
+39 392 840 5737
(email protected)
franchinifarm.com