Currant Varieties: Red, Black & White Currants

Unsure which currant should find a place in your garden? Don't worry, because we have compiled the 45 best currant varieties for you.

currants (Ribes) enrich every garden. They are a vitamin-rich, refreshing snack and they also taste great processed as cake, juice or jam. Before the planting When it comes to currants in your own garden, however, the question is not only about the right variety, but also about it according to the color - after all, there are red, white and black currants or currants, as they are called in Austria will. We will explain the differences between the three types and introduce you to the most popular, new and particularly hardy varieties of red, white and black currant.

Currant varieties: differences between red, white and black currants

Currants are distinguished by the color of their fruit. Due to the closer relationship, red (Ribes rubrum) and white (Ribes sativa) currants largely in terms of their care and requirements. Both black currants there are, however, some differences, for example in the cut. All three types vary in taste and ingredients. Red currants are usually characterized by a sour taste, white ones are sweeter and black ones are characterized by their typical, strong, but not unpleasant smell. Even the buds of the blackcurrant already carry this scent. With around 170 mg per 100 g of fruit, blackcurrants contain more than five times as much vitamin C as their red or white counterparts (30 to 50 mg per 100 g of fruit). Raw blackcurrants are therefore definitely healthier than red or white ones - and even than lemons. Cooked, however, redcurrants retain a higher proportion of nutrients due to their high fruit acid content.

There is another important difference between red and white currants on the one hand and black currants on the other. Red and white currants are largely self-fertile, meaning they are theoretically just one bush of one variety can be planted in the garden and the flowers are sufficiently fertilized to produce fruit.

In the case of blackcurrants, some varieties are more or less self-fertile, others are even self-infertile (or exclusive cross-pollinators). Self-sterile varieties absolutely need another variety in their environment so that they can produce fruit. But even with self-fertile varieties - whether red, white or black - it is advisable to plant at least two different varieties. This promotes the yield and size of the berries.

A note in advance: With some varieties there is talk of trickling or a tendency to trickle. This is a physiological disorder in which some flowers fail to produce berries due to various causes. Visually, this is sometimes no longer so nice, because on a grape there is not one berry next to the other, but gaps appear. However, the irrigation has no effect whatsoever on the fruit quality.

Currant varieties: Early, medium early and late ripening varieties

The ripening time of currants depends just like that of all other fruits and vegetables depends on the prevailing weather conditions and therefore always shifts from year to year little. Nevertheless, there are certain guidelines as to when currants usually bear ripe fruit:

• Early maturing varieties: from mid-June
• Medium-early varieties: from the end of June / beginning of July
• Late-ripening varieties: from mid/end of July

Red currant varieties

The lists of varieties are sorted below according to their time of ripening, so they always start with the early-ripening varieties and end with the late-ripening ones.

'Jonkheer van Tets': Early-ripening variety (from mid-June) with strong growth and lush, regular yield; long clusters; juicy, aromatic, large berries; Possibly the best tasting redcurrant fruit; high demands on the location (not too rainy, etc.), otherwise susceptible to illness; good for growing hedges; vulnerable to frost

'June': Very productive variety with large, tasty fruits; very vigorous

‘Detvan’: Undemanding variety with very high yield; medium to very strong growth; medium-sized fruit with a good, refreshingly sour taste

'Pink Sport': Old, high-yielding variety with light pink fruits; early to medium early maturing; pleasantly sour, mild taste with good aroma; medium growth

'Red Lake': Medium early variety with very large, mildly aromatic, sour fruits; medium growth; high to very high yield

'Hero': Old, moderately vigorous variety with juicy, sour, large berries; prone to bladder lice

‘Red Four Countries’: Medium-early variety with sour, slightly aromatic fruits; strong growth; sturdy plant

'Rolan': Robust, healthy variety with large, light red, firm berries; sour-aromatic taste; medium strong growth with a tendency to weak growth if not cut enough; well suited for locations with higher precipitation; tends to trickle down

‘Stanza’: Medium early variety with sour, slightly aromatic, small fruits; very high yield; medium to strong growth - therefore it has to be thinned out often

‘Rot’: Mid-late variety; high yields; very fast growing; Slightly susceptible to frost due to early flowering, otherwise robust and not at risk of trickling down; rainproof berries with a sour, very aromatic taste; resistant to leaf fall disease

‘Rovada’: Very productive variety; very strong growth; very long clusters with large berries; good, sour taste

‘Rose Hollanders’: Robust currant with pink, tart berries; productive; moderate growth; dense, therefore sometimes difficult to pick; Fruits darker than 'Rosa Sport'

‘Rondom’: Older, late variety with large, sour berries with a medium taste; strong growth; robust and productive

‘Rosetta’: Very high-yielding variety with sour, slightly aromatic berries - therefore suitable for processing, less good for fresh consumption; medium-sized, light red fruits; weak to medium growth

‘Tatran’: Good tasting, very large, bright red berries; strong growth with very upright, few branched shoots – therefore well suited for hedges; high yields

‘Rodneus’: Very high-yielding late variety with dark red, very dense, medium-sized berries with many seeds; strong upright growth; relatively robust

‘Augustus’: Very late variety that only ripens in August; medium yielding with small, dark red, moderately flavorful berries; medium growth

‘Heinemanns Spätlese’: Sometimes also just called 'Heinemanns'; old, very robust variety with sour, small, light-colored berries; many seeds in the berries; vigorous; very productive

Tip: The late-ripening varieties often suffer more damage from bird damage than the other varieties. There may be fewer other food sources available to the birds in late July to mid-August. It is therefore best to protect your late-ripening varieties with nets.

White currant varieties

‘White Versailles’: Early variety with golden-yellow, sweet-sour, aromatic berries; medium growth; relatively undemanding

‘Zitavia’: Early-ripening variety with light, translucent berries; vigorous; Somewhat sensitive to frost, otherwise very robust and undemanding; slight tendency to trickle; little sweet taste; many seeds in the fruit

‘Bar-le-Duc’: Old favorite variety from France; sour berries with a lot of aroma; whitish-yellow, medium-sized fruits; medium to strong growth

‘Witte von Huismann’: Early to mid-early, high-yielding variety with slightly sour, aromatic berries - hence the sweetest of the white currants; moderate growth; slightly susceptible to powdery mildew and leaf fall disease

'Witte Parel': Old, plentiful variety with medium-sized, white berries; good, slightly sour, aromatic taste; medium to strong growth

‘Heweista’: Old favorite variety with mild, aromatic currants; medium-sized, whitish-yellow berries; moderate growth; moderately productive; easily susceptible to bladder lice

‘Werdavia’: Medium early variety with lots of seeds in the berries; medium growth; white, translucent fruits with good taste

‘Vit Jätte’: New, high-yielding variety with large, yellow berries; mildly sweet, excellent taste; moderate growth; somewhat susceptible to powdery mildew

‘primus’: Slow-growing, yet rich-yielding variety with small, white-yellowish berries; medium late to late maturing; many seeds in the fruit; sweet, very aromatic taste

‘White long-grape’: Old favorite variety with a good, aromatic, sour taste; strong growth; mediocre yield; tends to trickle down

‘Blank’: Best-known white currant with late ripening; large yellowish-pink fruits with good taste; strong growth; high yield

Black currant varieties

‘Chereshneva’ / ‘Neva’: New, richly bearing, early maturing variety; large berries with a mild, sour taste and good aroma; medium strong, bushy growth; Relatively resistant to mildew, rust and gall mites

'Rosenthals' / 'Long-grapeed Blacks': Early variety with strong, wide growth; very large, deep black berries; sour, not very sweet, but very aromatic; sensitive to frost; not very self-fertile - so plant another black currant variety

'Ben Lomond': Very productive variety with large, tasty fruits; weak growth; sensitive to frost

‘Silvergies’: Early ripe variety with sweet, aromatic, mild fruits; strong, upright growth; moderately productive; relatively low demands on soil and climate; easily susceptible to mildew and rust

'Bona': Medium-yielding variety with large fruits; excellent taste; very short cluster; moderate growth; mildew tolerant

‘Ceres’: Early variety with medium-sized berries with mediocre taste - therefore more suitable for processing; medium growth; very resistant and tolerant to powdery mildew and gall mites

‘Titanium’: Large, deep black, tart, slightly aromatic berries; strong growth; relatively resistant to rust and leaf fall disease; very self-fertile - therefore very suitable when there is only room for a single shrub

‘Roodknop’: Medium late ripening currant with short clusters; moderate growth; sour, tart fruits; prone to rust

‘Ometa’: Medium late to late variety with aromatic, large fruits that taste excellent; strong, upright growth; bearing rich; under poor conditions slightly susceptible to column rust, powdery mildew and gall mite; but otherwise very robust

‘ECM’: New, medium-late, high-yielding variety with very strong growth; very large, good tasting berries; generally very robust and also quite resistant to mildew

‘Wusil’: Lover's variety with sweet, aromatic, large berries; fast-growing, moderately productive; susceptible to powdery mildew and columnar rust

‘Hedda’: Medium late to late variety with large berries with a sweet, aromatic taste; very susceptible to mildew and rust, but usually very hardy

‘Tsema’: Highly susceptible to powdery mildew cultivar not recommended for home gardens

‘Daniel’s September’: Late variety with sour, slightly aromatic berries; strong growth

‘Tenah’: Rich-bearing variety with large, tasty fruits; strong growth

'Baldwin Hill Top': Medium vigorous variety with relatively few aromatic fruits

‘Westra‘: Late to very late maturing; sweetish, aromatic, large berries; medium growth; mediocre yield; somewhat susceptible to mildew and very susceptible to rust

Once the right variety has been found, planting begins. You can find out how to do this correctly in our article on the subject plant currants.