Grapes, apples, apples, grapes: These are two of the most popular and enduring fruits in the United States. So it seems only natural that the two should join forces, coming together to make some sort of Marvel-style produce aisle team up on par with Captain America and Iron Man. And wouldn’t you know it, they did! In 2004, a new apple called a grapple was introduced to the market. It promised all of the heft, looks, and texture of an apple with the juicy taste of grape blended into one delicious fruit. Grapples became popular thanks to their confounding and delicious taste. And their success seemed to spur on the popularity of other “hybrid” flavored fruits, such as cotton candy grapes or the strawberry-shaped, pineapple-tasting pine berries.
This recap of grapple history may leave you wanting another (or first) taste of grapples. Unfortunately, the sad fact of the matter is that grapples simply do not exist any longer. As of 2023, grapples stopped being produced and the company that owned the patent folded. You won’t be able to find them in your local or big-box grocer. You may be able to find a bag at a thrift or antique store, but it’s perhaps to be wary of secondhand or vintage fruits, unless they’re made of glass.
An apple long gone
Though grapples are now a thing of the past, they still hold a special, if not slightly whacky, place in apple history. The main novelty of grapples was their unexpectedly grape-y taste. The disconnect between the apple shape, color, and texture, and the distinctly Concord flavor, delighted and befuddled diners in equal measure. So how did grapples get their distinct taste? One might think that grapples were a product of a highly unusual crossbreeding between grapes and apples. After all, cotton candy grapes and pine berries get their distinct flavors from selective crossbreeding. Heck, even broccoli is a product of intentional crossbreeding. But grapples come by their flavor in a more artificial way.
It turns out, grapples were simply Washington-grown apples (usually Fuji or Gala) that were dipped into a chemical solution of methyl anthranilate and water. This gave the apples their grape flavor. This solution was completely food grade and didn’t contribute any sugar or calorie content to the fruit, just an intense taste. In 2016, a tart iteration was released, giving fruit lovers a pucker-inducing take on the grapple. However, as customers’ taste for novelty fruits waned and an interest in more natural products increased, grapples simply couldn’t, well, grapple, with a market not suited to its niche. For some, however, the grapple will live on forever, at least in memory.
