Champagne grapes are a variety of grape from the United States. They grow in clusters, producing a very small diameter grapes, much much smaller than the usual grapes that you see in the supermarkets. Despite their name, champagne grapes aren't used to make the sparkling wine. Legend has it that the grapes were so named because the tiny clusters of fruit resemble the bubbles in a glass of Champagne.

This seedless grape is mostly sweet although you might get an occassional lip-puckering one. They provide a very sweet flavor for salads, appetizers or as a snack with cheese. Like pomegranates with their hundreds of seeds,champagne grapes are best eaten when you have a few hours to spare.

Champagne grapes that are dried are referred to as currants, a named derived from this variety also being called the Zante Currant grape. The dried grape that becomes a currant is often used like raisins as an ingredient when baking cookies and sweets.

The stem, which is also very tiny and tender, is often consumed with the grape rather than attempting to detatch the small connector from the main stem. Although it may be confused with common black, red or white currants that grow on bushes, it is similar only in shape and size, but is not the same type of fruit.

Don’t let the little bundle fool you into thinking that its tedious eating.. In fact , as I was eating my punnet of grapes, I actually found it quite relaxing picking at these tiny grape and they are the perfect snack for a lazy afternoon.

So if you come across Champagne grapes in your grocery store, don’t be intimidated by its price or quantity ! Give it a try and feel like Cleopatra or Julius Caesar, for that moment, with delicate eats!

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