GEAPES. 3G9 



of an amber colour as the fruit are highly ripened, and covered with 

 numerous russety dots. Flesh, firm and breaking, juicy, and well 

 flavoured. 



Ripens with the heat""of a vinery. A good bearer, but the bunches 

 set badly. 



This is in all respects similar to the Muscat of Alexandria in the 

 fruit, but has no Muscat flavour. 



Alexandrian Frontignan. See Muscat of Alexandria. 



ALICANTE (Black Lisbon; Black Portugal; Black Palestine; 

 111 ark Si>ani*/t; Black St. Peter's; Black Tokay; Black Valentia; 

 Meredith's Alicante; St. Peter's; Espagnin Noir ; Alicante nn-i-in : 

 III aw r ran Alicante ; Sanct Peter's Traube; Schwarzer Spanischer). 

 Bunches, large, and sometimes shouldered, frequently cylindrical and 

 long, occasionally broadly ovate, and always well set. Berries, large, 

 perfectly oval or olive-shaped, jet black, and covered with a thin blue 

 bloom. Skin, tough and membranous, but not too thick. Berry-stalks 

 less than half an inch long, very slightly and thinly war ted, and with 

 a small receptacle. Flesh, very tender, adhering a little to the skin, 

 juicy, and with a flavour similar to that of Black Hamburgh. Seeds, 

 rather large, varying from one to three in each berry, and attached to 

 a seed- string tinged with red. 



A fine large showy grape, both in bunch and berry, which hangs 

 remarkably well, and is an excellent late variety. Taking all its qualities 

 into consideration the size of its bunches and berries, its flavour when 

 highly ripened in heat, and the fertility and vigour of the vine, this is 

 one of the most valuable late grapes in cultivation ; but it must be re- 

 membered that to have it in perfection it requires the same temperature 

 as Muscat of Alexandria, though it succeeds very well in an ordinary 

 vinery. Mr. Barron says, that after ripening it requires to be kept cool, 

 otherwise the berries are apt to decay. 



I have been thus minute in the description of this grape because of the great 

 confusion that exists as to the varieties bearing this name. It is the Alicante of 

 Speedily ; it is also the true Black St. Peter's (not West's St. Peter's), and in 

 my investigations of the vineyards of the south of France I have found it under 

 the name of Espagnin Noir. 



The name of Alicante is given to several varieties of grapes in the south of 

 France and in the Peninsula, but is not applicable to any variety in particular. In 

 the department of Card, it is applied to Gromier du Cantal ; in Andalusia to the 

 Tintilla and Tinto ; in Provence to Mourrede ; and in the Eastern Pyrenees to 

 Matara. Then the Alicante of Bouches-des- Rhone vineyards is the Granaxa of 

 Arragon, and Grunache of Eastern Pyrenees ; while, in the neighbourhood of 

 Alicante, the name is given to two or three different sorts. In Great Britain 

 Slack Prince is sometimes, but erroneously, called Alicante ; and the variety which 

 in the second edition of this work was called Keinpsey Alicante, I have discovered 

 to be nothing else than the Morocco. 



Alicantwein. See Alicante. 



ALNWICK SEEDLING (Clive House Seedling). Bunches, large, 



24 



