Cotton Candy grapes, they're called, and as with the Honeycrisp apple, that's a trademarked name. And for the same reason. They were created not through genetic modification, unless you consider good ol' crossbreeding to be a form of that; first used in commerce in 2010, the trademark "Cotton Candy" for grapes is owned by International Fruit Genetics, in California.
The ones I bought were grown in Chile, where they seem to have a wonderful climate for table grapes and, indeed, some say their wines are pretty awesome too. So I do not blame the great nation of Chile when I say I just didn't care for these much.
The Cotton Candy grape is said to have a "toffee/caramel" flavor, and I definitely picked up on a syrupy sweetness. But they are also melony, like a cantaloupe; their frutiness is like that of wine, I find, not like green table grapes. There's a kind of mustiness to them, like you'd find in an old house, although they have a more typical grape finish.
It's weird, I tell ya, weird.
Some people do think they taste "exactly like cotton candy". These people are wrong. I have had more genuine scooped-out-of-the-machine cotton candy than most people get in these days of the bagged stuff, and I'm telling you, you may love the Cotton Candy grapes, but that's not cotton candy. Or candy floss (for our British friends).
I'd like to know if you've tried these and what your take is. My wife liked them more than I did; she was the one who identified the cantaloupishness of them. It was an interesting experience. But at $5.99 a pound, not one likely to be repeated soon.
IFG does have a large list of trademarked grapes with some very odd names. I'm not keen on trying them all, but if I find any Jack's Salute I will probably break down. Kinda want to know what Jack was so happy about.
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