Unsure which currant should be in your garden? Don't worry, because we've rounded up the 45 best currant varieties for you.

Currants are distinguished by the color of their fruit

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

Currant varieties: differences between red, white and black currants

Currants are differentiated by the color of their fruit. Due to their close relationship, red (Ribes rubrum) and white (Ribes sativa) currants are largely similar in terms of care and requirements. With blackcurrants, on the other hand, there are some differences, for example when cutting. 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 he althier than red or white ones - and even than lemons. Cooked, however, red currants retain a higher proportion of nutrients due to their high content of fruit acids.

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 largelyself-fertile, which means you can theoretically only plant one shrub of any one variety in the garden and the flowers will be pollinated enough to produce fruit.

Red and white currants are largely self-fertile

In the case of blackcurrants, some varieties are more or less self-fertile, others are even self-infertile (or exclusively cross-pollinated). 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 the size of the berries.

A note in advance: With some varieties there is talk of trickling or a tendency to trickling. 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, middle early and late ripening varieties

The ripening time of currants, like that of all other fruits and vegetables, depends heavily on the prevailing weather conditions and therefore always shifts a little from year to year. 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 below are sorted 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

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

‘Jonkheer van Tets’ is a tried and tested currant variety

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

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

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

‘Heros’: Old, moderately vigorous variety with juicy, sour, large berries; susceptible to bladder lice

'Rote Vierländer': Medium-early variety with sour, slightly aromatic fruits; strong growth; robust plant

'Rolan': Robust, he althy 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 out

‘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

‘Rotet’: Medium 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 Hollander’: 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 mediocre taste; strong growth; robust and productive

Rovada fruits have a good, sour taste

'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 productive 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; moderate growth

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

Tip: Late-ripening varieties often suffer more damage from bird damage than 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 medium early, high-yielding variety with slightly sour, aromatic berries - therefore the sweetest of the white currants; moderate growth; Slightly susceptible to powdery mildew and leaf fall disease

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

'Blanka' is the best-known late-ripening white currant

‘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; slightly susceptible to powdery mildew

‘Primus’: Slow-growing, yet plentiful 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 out

'Blanka':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 mite

'Rosenthals' / 'Langtrauige Schwarze': 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 blackcurrant variety

Black currants are characterized by their typical, strong smell

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

'Silvergieters': 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

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

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

Black currants contain a lot of vitamin C

‘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': Very mildew susceptible cultivar not recommended for home gardens

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

'Tenah': High-yielding variety with large, tasty fruits; strong growth

‘Baldwin Hilltop’: Medium vigorous variety with relatively few aromatic fruits

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

As soon as the right variety is found, it's time to plant. You can find out how to do this correctly in our article on planting currants.

Category:

Fruit