I planted three grape varieties. The Neptune died. That left me with Pink Reliance and Somerset. I really enjoy one and can’t stand the other. The issue is I don’t remember which is which. The one is 100% seedless with nice clusters of large firm grapes. The other has smaller grapes, very tight clusters, and many have small soft seeds. The skin on the second variety is also not pleasant. I believe the good ones are reliance and the other somerset. Would anyone have any advice or insight? I’ve attached a picture. The red I believe to be somerset and the green reliance.
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I planted Somerset recently. I sure hope they’re the good ones!
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I don’t have Reliance, but this description matches my experience with Somerset.
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Russia, Far East. Somerset. 9 august 2025.
We have no snow at winter usually. Temperature - 37°c …-42°c . But Somerset really strong grape. Sorry for my English…
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Yes- Somerset can be very small berries. Great flavor and disease resistant too. Unfortunately, the birds have acquired a taste for them in my neighborhood.
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Somerset. Don’t know reliance, but I suspect you want somerset. They’re like candy.
Small, soft seeds are present but really not very noticeable. MPO the sellers state they get sweeter later, our opinion taste and harvest the second they’re good. Wait to get them, “sweeter” and all we’ve found is the hide get’s tough and the seeds get noticable.
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My Somerset has a very early ripening period. Some of the berries in the cluster are still unripe, while others are already dried out. The skin is thin and firm, and the seeds are hard and small, just like the berries themselves.
24.08.2025 Somerset is already ripe.
The grape variety similar to Reliance from China is called Northern Honey Fragrance. It is not yet ripe.
My Somerset vine put on grapes for the first time this year and they look identical to the picture above. Small pinkish but the seeds in mine are not that soft. So far not a fan only because I dislike seeds in grapes. They’re really sweet and no disease so far.
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I have grown both.
Sommerset is the smaller one. Mine however is very sweet, fruity strawberry like and the skin does not bother me.
Reliance is bigger, has similar flavour notes but 1/2-1/3 as strong, and would frequently die back at -34C while Sommerset would go strong and fruit every year.
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We have grown both. The Reliance we had was from original vines from Arkansas so it may have been improved over the years, but we removed them because they were so prone to sour rot, etc. No amount of fungicide would bring them to harvest. The Somerset can be very good but is VERY prone to bird damage to the extent that we must net them all. They also ripen over a long period. I think your identification is correct.
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Our Reliance is our best surviving seedless grape. Though that is not saying much. Himrod and Niagara just do live. We will continue to try and nurse them. But 1st year Scuppernong is shaming all of them.
Don’t think this typical, but for what it’s worth, I only have experience with Reliance and Jupiter. Reliance has been a total disaster. It requires much more fungicide, and can’t seem to ripen. For some reason, now isn’t even producing.
Jupiter, also seedless, is excellent and not disease prone.
Both were damaged by a very rare mid-May freeze a couple years ago.
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South Georgia is farther south than nearly all seedless bunch type grapes can be grown successfully long term in the eastern USA. The southeast has many foliar and fruit attacking fungi and insects that could be managed with intensive spray schedules, but pierces disease can’t be controlled that way, especially in high pressure regions, and south Georgia is very much in the pierces disease zone.
For that region, muscadine or some of the relatively small number of seeded but pierces disease tolerant bunch grapes are definitely the way to go.
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