Cotton Candy Grapes Delivery or Pickup

Cotton candy grapes were created by David Cain, a horticulturist who wants to bring back grapes' natural flavors. He did it through plant breeding and with his team at International Fruit Genetics in Bakersfield, California. Cotton candy grapes are a hybrid of two different grapes to create a unique grape that reminds you of cotton candy. This grape brings back the flavor in grapes and is quite unique to other grapes in the store.

Cotton candy grapes have been commercially available since 2011 in limited quantities by its first distributor, The Grapery. It went from two acres of the grapes to about one hundred acres a couple of years later. Its sugar content is twelve percent more than regular grapes but not too sweet and very little tartness. When you try a cotton candy grape, the sweetness lingers in your mouth with hints of vanilla.

In order to get the vanilla flavor in these grapes, Cain mixed a variety of genes from different kinds of grapes. Since most of the grapes found in the U.S. belong to Vitis Vinifera, Cain decided to try using other species to bring in another type of flavor in the grocery store. This took over a decade to perfect and have the cotton candy grape with no artificial flavoring. Now cotton candy grapes are also grown in Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and Chile.

From about August and September, the grapes from the California grapery are available in the stores. From December to March, grapes from Peru, Brazil, and Chile are available, while from April to June, grapes from Mexico can be found. They have a limited storage time post-harvest, so these grapes are not very easy to find. Once you are able to buy them, keep the grapes in cold storage in the fridge as soon as possible, and chill before enjoying them.

Enjoying cotton candy grapes is as easy as eating them straight from the bag. Just wash what you plan to eat and pop them in your mouth. You can also use them as part of a fruit salad with some apples, pineapple, watermelon, or whatever fruit you have at hand. Cotton candy grapes are ideal as ice cream or cake toppings since they're sweet with little to no tart.

Since these are available during the warmer months, a cotton candy sorbet is a unique way to enjoy the sweetness of the flavor and beat the heat. Just freeze the grapes off the vine overnight, and in a blender, blend the grapes and add a bit of lime juice, a little bit of water, and a bit of sugar or honey. Blend a bit more and place in a container to be frozen, and enjoy.

If you're feeling hungry for some cotton candy grapes, use the Instacart app to order some and complete your purchase. An Instacart shopper will head to the store and pick out what you ordered. We'll do our best to get your groceries delivered the same day so order to make your day a little easier!

Cotton candy grapes turn an amber color when they're ripe, and the flesh is hard when pressed. If some of the grapes have fallen off the bunch, it means the grapes are very ripe to eat.

Cotton candy grapes have gone bad when the flesh is very soft to the touch, loses its round form, and the skin will start to wrinkle. They will have a brown discoloration and start to smell a bit like vinegar.