Which currant varieties are the most popular is not so easy to answer. The decisive factors are personal preferences and tastes, as well as aroma, size of the berries and their possible uses. Further selection criteria can be the susceptibility to diseases and the time of ripening. In general, red varieties are sweet with a slightly sour undertone, while the black varieties have an intense aroma and are mostly quite tart in taste.
Table of Contents
Redcurrants (Ribes) – popular varieties
The red currant has been cultivated since the 15th century. The fruits can be enjoyed raw or processed into jam or as a cake topping. There are also differences within this currant variety.
precocious
‘Fay’s Fertile’
This old currant (Ribes) has long been considered the best of the red varieties. The large, red, thin-skinned berries on long clusters have a pleasant, mildly sour taste. Unfortunately, this variety often suffers from leaf fall disease.
‚Heros‘
- old German variety
- pronounced lover variety
- long clusters with medium-sized fruits
- Berries easy to pick
- sour, aromatic taste
- susceptible to the bladder aphid
- reacts sensitively to late frosts
- protect as a precaution in winter
‚Johnkheer van Tets’
It is a classic and one of the earliest and most popular currant varieties. But she only wears it for a short time, from mid to late June. Planting another variety that bears longer or later is a good idea here. ‘Johnkheer van Tets’ offers high and regular yields. The large, red and juicy berries are slightly sour and tart with a strong aroma.
‚Red Lake‘
This red, frost hardy and undemanding currant convinces with medium-sized, light red fruits. With its tasty, mildly sweet and sour berries, it literally invites you to nibble. The plants are undemanding and frost hardy. This variety reaches maturity around the beginning of June. Then they can simply be collected. When fully ripe, they sometimes fall off the bush by themselves.
‘Telake’
The high-yielding variety ‘Telake’ ripens in June, just a few days after ‘Johnkheer van Tets’. Its fruits are large, bright red and firm. They have a pleasant sweetness with a slight acidity. This variety bears on short wood. The otherwise robust and resistant plants have little tendency to trickle down. When it rains, the fruit can burst.
mid-early
‘Detvan’
In contrast to most red varieties, its fruits are not sour, but very aromatic. Yields are high and regular. The berries are easy to pick and are suitable for fresh consumption as well as for jams and jellies. These plants can be cultivated well in tubs.
‘Red Four Countries’
The high-yielding variety ‘Rote Vierländer’ develops large, juicy fruits with a firm, dense consistency and a finely sour aroma. It is a very resistant, robust and strong-growing, medium-red variety that is ideal for fresh consumption but also for further processing.
‚Stanza‘
- Ribes rubrum ‘Stanza’ is robust and vigorous
- Berries dark red, large, of firm consistency
- sit on medium-length grapes
- have a slight acidity
- are very aromatic
- ripe fruits can stay on the bush for a long time
- this guarantees a longer harvest time
late maturing end
‘Heinemann’s late harvest’
- Heinemann’s Spätlese does not bear fruit until late in the year
- around August
- Yields very high and safe
- Fruits large, red and sour in taste
- stay on the bush longer than others
- can be easily detached from the stems
- Currant is frost hardy and undemanding
- Waterlogging is not tolerated
‚Junifer‘
Junifer convinces with a rich harvest from mid-July. The plump, sweet and sour fruits taste particularly good fresh from the bush, but are also suitable for a wide variety of preparations. Due to the late flowering there is no risk of late frosts. When planting in a bucket, it should have a volume of at least 30-40 liters.
‘Roland’
The currant ‘Rolan’ delivers high yields from mid-July. Anyone who prefers sour fruits is well advised to use this variety. The berries are large, light to medium red in color and have firm flesh. Susceptibility to leaf spot disease is low, as is the risk of bursting when it rains.
‚around’
- Ribes rubrum ‘Rondom’ forms small, red, sour, juicy fruits
- freshly picked, a real treat
- also versatile in use
- thanks to its small size, well suited for small gardens
- also thrives on balconies and terraces
- Pay attention to appropriate winter protection in the bucket
‘Red Dutch’
The ‘Red Dutch’ is one of the old currant varieties and is characterized by its fast growth, robustness and late ripening. It is very fertile, its clusters are long and compact, the berries are light red and medium-sized. Maturity is irregular, with the fruits hanging comparatively firmly on the bush.
‘Rovada’
This currant is one of the most popular red varieties. It is very productive, forms grapes up to 20 cm long with large, medium-red fruits and scores with a long harvest time. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste and a strong aroma.
Black currants – popular varieties
Black currants have been found in numerous gardens since the 16th century. The berries have a slightly tart taste than the red varieties. The berries form the basis for the cassis liqueur.
precocious
‚Bona‘
‘Bona’ is a medium yielding blackcurrant. Short clusters of large, shiny, mild and sweet-tasting berries hang from its overhanging shoots. They are just as tasty fresh from the bush as they are in juices, jellies or jams.
Cassissima(R) Black Marble
- one of the first cassis varieties of the year
- is one of the currant varieties with the largest fruits
- ready for harvest at the end of June
- an exception among blackcurrants
- Berries plump, with jelly-like flesh
- typically strong, tart taste is missing
- Fruits mild, sweet, very juicy, special taste experience
Cassissima(R) Noiroma(R)
This black variety also ripens early and forms large fruits. They have the highest sugar content of all cassis varieties. As far as fresh consumption is concerned, this currant with its pleasantly subtle cassis aroma is one of the best. The balanced relationship between skin, seeds and pulp also contributes to this.
mid-early
‘Chereshneva’
A new, early-ripening and high-yielding variety of medium-strong, bushy growth. It bears large fruits with a mild, sour taste. They are much sweeter and milder than most of the varieties available on the market and are also easy to pick. ‘Chereshneva’ is very resistant to powdery mildew and round bud disease.
‘Hedda’
It is said to be the sweetest of all black currant varieties, the ‘Hedda’ variety. Their delicious, large fruits can be harvested from around the beginning of July. They bring medium yields, with berries appearing on old shoots. The fresh berries are the perfect dessert fruit, but are just as good for fresh consumption and for making juice.
“Obstruction”
This so-called mass carrier variety is one of the newer breeds. It forms long clusters with medium-sized berries. The sweet taste of the berries, which are easy to detach from the stalks, make them a popular black currant. It delivers high and regular yields.
‘Rosenthals Langtraubige’
Rosenthal’s long grape variety is one of the good old currant varieties for the home garden. The deep black, juicy berries have a strong, tart, sour aroma with little sweetness. When ripe, they are very soft, loose and easy to pick. However, they also tend to trickle.
Mid-late to late-ripening
‚I’m Sarek’
Ribes nigrum ‘Ben Sarek’ is a durable and fast-growing variety with large, particularly aromatic and slightly sour fruits. Yields are high, even in harsh locations with particularly cold and long winters. It also convinces with good resilience and robustness. Susceptibility to powdery mildew and gall mites is also low.
‚Silvergieters‘
It is a popular, well-known blackcurrant variety with medium-length clusters and large berries. They are sweet and juicy and are often eaten directly from the bush. However, they can also be used for other purposes. ‘Silvergieters’ develops the tastiest fruits in sunny, sheltered locations.
‚Titania‘
The strong-growing Ribes nigrum Titania is a favorite variety that is characterized by high yields and large, mild and aromatic berries. They are formed on annual fruit shoots. The ripe berries easily detach from the stalk, but do not fall off.
