Something that has subliminally puzzled me is that eating grapes taste pleasant enough but are rather bland and all very much the same whereas wine is so complex and varied.

I was nibbling some lovely, rich, flavoursome grapes from the South of France the other day and the issue naturally came to mind along with the solution. It is simply that almost all the grapes available in the shops are the awful Thompson's Seedless which (like the dreaded Elsanta strawberry) are doubtless the cheapest and easiest to grow but are completely lacking in character and individuality. How have we allowed this monster to dominate the eating-grape market?

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