Bangalore blue grape, also simply called Bangalore Blue, is a variety of fox grape (''
Vitis labrusca'') grown in districts around
Bangalore in
India. It is one of the three major varieties of grape in the state of
Karnataka (the other two being
Thomson seedless and Anab-E-Shahi Dilkush). It received a
geographical indication tag from the
Government of India in 2013.
History
The variety has been grown for the past 150 years in the districts of
Bangalore Urban,
Chikkaballapur and
Kolar.
[ It is cultivated exclusively in an area of about 5,000 hectares, mainly in the Nandi Valley; and about 450,000 tonnes of the fruit are produced annually.][
]
Appearance and uses
Bangalore Blue is closely related to the American Concord variety which has a strong natural resistance against phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
bugs. The variety has a "foxy flavor" and a soft skin. It is known to have anti-cancer and anti-ageing properties, as demonstrated by modern research.[
The grape is mainly used for raw consumption, making jams and jellies, juice and juice concentrates; and in ]fortified wines
Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commanda ...
.[
]
Geographical indication
The Department of Horticulture proposed the registration of Bangalore Blue under the Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999, to the Office of the Controller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Chennai, in order to make it exclusive to the farmers in the region and increase its brand value.[ This allowed the Bangalore Blue Grapes Growers' Association headquartered in Chikkaballapur to get patent rights to cultivation of the variety.][
]
See also
* List of Geographical Indications in India
References
{{Reflist
Grape varieties
Flora of Karnataka
Geographical indications in Karnataka