May is the sweetest time for Haiyan in a year. Following the successive arrivals of seasonal fruits like loquat and cherry, the “grape season” has begun. In mid-May, the grape Tiangongmoyu made its debut, becoming the first locally grown grape variety to hit the market this year in Jiaxing. In the days ahead, over ten other grape varieties like Summer Black, Zuijinxiang, Kyoho, Shine Muscat, Romantic Beauty and Queen Nina will go on sale to cater to consumers’ diverse needs and will remain available until late September.

Nurtured by Horticulture Research Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tiangongmoyu boasts three distinctive features: first, it matures about 10 days earlier than Summer Black, a very popular grape with an earlier ripening period; second, its skin is thin, crisp and edible; third, it is appropriately sweet with unique flavor and tender flesh, and smells of roses and wine-like aroma.

As a flagship agriculture industry of Haiyan, grape growing is vital for local farmers’ income growth. This year, the county’s grape planting areas exceed 1,333 hectares, nearly half of which are in Yucheng and Wanghai. In 2020, “Haiyan Grape” earned the National Agricultural Product Geographical Indication Certification, and since 2022, it has been put under the protection of China’s Agri-product Geographical Indications.

Following “Tiangongmoyu”, Summer Black and Zuijinxiang will hit the market in June, and Red Earth and Sunshine Rose in July, and Kyoho, Romantic Beauty, etc. in August. Thanks to advanced fresh keeping technologies, the supply period for “Haiyan Grape” can extend to February or March of the following year.