the Brand

The sweetness that wins you over

Lady Froly is the strawberry grape from Piedmont of the Fratelli Castellino winery.
It is a product with a strong personality, capable of expressing the history of the territory thanks to its well-defined organoleptic characteristics.

The name is derived from 'Frola', which means strawberry in Piedmontese dialect.
This was done to immediately affirm the product's roots, as all the grapes marketed under this brand are of Piedmontese origin.
The fruit is recognisable from its intense aroma and the flavour of the pulp, which is reminiscent of a ripe strawberry in contrast to the sour note produced by the skin of the berry.

The Lady Froly table grape is the rediscovery of an ancient flavour capable of satisfying the new demands of consumers in search of new flavours. The Piedmont strawberry grape is a fruit with high biological and nutritional value.
The continuous appreciation of the sweet taste of Lady Froly, especially by a young public, and the increased demand for the product has prompted us to increasingly enhance the cultivation of this strawberry table grape variety.

Cassetta di uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly

Lady because it is a 'lady' table grape, even though it is a product that has recently taken a leading role on the national and European market.
A grape variety that can now be defined as traditional, because it has been present in the territory for over 200 years, but only in small private cultivations, is finally receiving the attention it deserves thanks to this mouth-watering project.

Characteristics

Beauty to behold

The strawberry grape plant is very beautiful. The flowers are delicate and white, assembled exactly like the berries. It is not surprising that it is cultivated for ornamental purposes, to create fresh, fragrant pergolas traditionally found in all Piedmontese farmhouses.

Delicious by name

The strawberry grape owes its name to its peculiar organoleptic characteristics. It is distinguished by its characteristic aromatic profile. It has an acidic skin that encloses a sweet pulp with a flavour reminiscent of ripe strawberries.

The queen at the table

The strawberry grape is a very tasty black grape variety that is best eaten fresh. It is excellent as a table grape thanks to its bunches with few blemishes and its intense aroma. It can be stored for about a month after being harvested and is perfect for the production of juices, jams and spirits.

Tasty novelty

The production calendar for strawberry grapes covers a period from mid-August until early October. You can cool off from the summer heat with this sweet fruit.

Properties and Benefits

The strawberry grape is a low-calorie food, 100 grams of the product provides 69 kcal, the specific composition is 80% water, 17% sugars and 3% vitamins and minerals. In each berry there is a treasure trove of substances beneficial to our health.
The skin contains polyphenols, which have an antioxidant effect.
The seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which regulate the metabolism and are cholesterol-lowering.
The pulp contains sugars, a source of energy, and mineral salts, which are indispensable for the human organism.

American or Strawberry?

The American grape, which belongs to the Vitis Labrusca family, is known as the strawberry grape because of its organoleptic characteristics. It is American because it was imported from the new continent in the first half of the 19th century.
All the varieties belonging to this family are intended for fresh and processed consumption.
Its introduction in Europe is historically justified as the need to counter phylloxera attacks, by using the strawberry grape as rootstock: the plant has a strong natural resistance to the disease. This has been followed by long years of amateur cultivation leading to new consumer demand for the ever-increasing product, which has been met with the very tasty Lady Froly, a table strawberry grape with strong natural resistance against diseases and adverse weather conditions.

The Piedmont strawberry grape

Sweet, tasty, unique

The Piedmont Lady Froly strawberry grape is available from mid-summer until early autumn (mid-August - early October). It is easily found in large-scale retail outlets or in the traditional fruit and vegetable market. The early presence of this table grape makes it possible to satisfy public demand as early as the summer without having to wait for other autumn varieties to ripen. Ask for the Piedmont strawberry grape Lady Froly if you cannot find it in your shop.

Lady Froly is a very special and delicious table grape, which is very aromatic and rich in nutrients. It comes in clusters full of small berries. The fruit is sugary, sweet and fruity. It is a concentrate of refreshing energy to be enjoyed at the end of a meal or as a snack.

The strawberry grape of Piedmont, especially Lady Froly, has quickly become a popular product, in great demand among the public. In addition to the cultivation of Lady Froly already present in the Piedmont region, new plants are added every year and gradually enter into production.

The cultivation of the Piedmont strawberry grape Lady Froly

Terreno dove cresce e matura l'uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly

Soil

The Lady Froly strawberry grape grows luxuriantly thanks to the climatic and environmental characteristics of Piedmont, including a good temperature range between day and night, and good sun exposure. Piedmont offers perfect soils with respect to the pedoclimatic requirements of this strawberry grape, capable of ripening the fruit at the peak of its sugary and aromatic flavour.

Irrigazione dell'uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly

Irrigation

The Piedmont strawberry grape does not require much irrigation; it thrives well in moist soil, but without water stagnation. In winter in some areas it is not possible to water the plants at all.

Tecniche di propagazione dell'uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly

Propagation

Lady Froly strawberry grapes are propagated by cuttings. Cultivation is typically by 'arbor', i.e. using a structure to help the plant stand upright. Practices such as grafting are not necessary.

Potatura della vite di uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly

Pruning

To obtain perfect fructification, pruning must be done, leaving at least five buds per plant. Should strawberry grape shoots become too heavy as they grow, production may be adversely affected.

Historical background

Distant Origins, Native Heart

The strawberry grape, also known as the American grape, has been present in Piedmont since the 19th century.
It was introduced as a rootstock to combat the problem of phylloxera, a disease that leads to the death of plants of other vine species, but which has no influence on the strawberry grape, which is much more resistant.

It soon became apparent to farmers and others that the fruit produced had a pleasant taste and it became customary to dry the bunches on the vine until the first frost and then store them on the straw so that they could be enjoyed at Christmas time.

Grappolo di uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly su ramo di vite

Since then, cultivation has been carried on at an amateur level.
Significant innovations have only started to be seen in the last 10 years, when some farms have chosen to modernise cultivation techniques, raising the quality standards of the product to those demanded by the market.

Sustainability

Our Lady Froly table grapes are offered on the market both in baskets made of recyclable PET material, identified by the code RPET1, and in recyclable cardboard baskets. For us, it is crucial to make the production and marketing of our product as sustainable as possible.

This is not just a matter of aligning with the rules on re-use, recycling and compostability of food containers coming from Europe, but an ethical requirement that reflects our values in the production of agricultural products.

Presenting our table grapes in easily recyclable packaging makes it possible for us to actively counteract the environmental effects of packaging production.

Organic

Our commitment to meeting the demand for organic products

In view of the growing demand for organic products, the Fratelli Castellino farm, together with selected supplier farms, have set aside hectares of land for the organic cultivation of the Lady Froly Piedmont strawberry grape.

Lady Froly is therefore also available in an organic version to provide a concrete response to a constantly increasing market demand. Our consumers are increasingly attentive and also choose products on the basis of the ethical value they represent.

Conventional and organic Lady Froly grapes have a natural flavour: the absence of chemical or synthetic substances leaves the intense taste of the fruit intact. Harvesting takes place when the ripening is complete and when every single berry has been enriched with its aromas and flavours.

Consuming organic table grapes is a conscious choice to preserve our health and the environment. Our production focuses on not exploiting the land and safeguarding biodiversity.

Cestini di uva fragola Piemonte Lady Froly