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Grow Tomatoes Review: Vintage Wine and Black Brandywine Heirlooms

July 22nd, 2009 | Author: Dot

“All of life is a dispute over taste and tasting.” – Friedrich Nietzsche (German classical Scholar, Philosopher and Critic of culture, 1844-1900.)

Vintage Wine Heirloom Tomato and Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomato

DoT’s Thot: I have struggled with deciding what should go in the garden each tomato season. I admit to being greedily curious about heirloom tomatoes. While I am all in favor of preserving the diversity of the horticultural gene pool, I also am just plain interested in the colors, shapes, sizes, aroma, and tastes of the varieties of tomatoes as well as the growing habits, different flowers and vining habits of the tomato plants. Vintage Wine attracted me this year, because of its name, description, and pretty picture. Black Brandywine was bought, because I somehow did not find the usual pink nor yellow brandywine in the nurseries.

Select Heirloom Tomatoes Because They Are Interesting and Taste Good

As for selecting tomatoes in general, not being a trained horticulturist, I do some reading, internet surfing, and take my chances every year, trying to find the ones I have liked from years past and trying new ones. Vintage Wine tomato and Black Brandywine tomato are two new heirloom trials for me. Some of the ones I have missed this year that were grand in past years have been New Zealand Pink Paste (grew that for 2 years and then it disappeared on me — nice paste tomato that tastes grand out of hand), Anna Russian (prolific lovely pink oxheart tomatoes that remind me a little of Dinner Plate — planted that last year, found none this year), and Orange Santa Grape tomato (wonderful for growing in super large pot). I did note that there is some dispute about which tomatoes are truly heirloom or heritage, but it does not matter to me. I will take the broader definition to be tomatoes that people like so much that they keep the seeds, wish to see them propagated forward, and pass on from some number of generations to the next.

Vintage Wine and Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes Sliced

Review Characteristics of Vintage Wine Heirloom Tomato and Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomato

The outside skin of the Vintage Wine Heirloom Tomato is very striking to see. It is unusual in that the background is red with yellow streaks that stay distinctively stripey, even as the tomato ripens. The skin of the Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomato is red on the shoulders, but tends to retain a large amount of the green hue on the sides, giving the tomato a very dusky red appearance, hence the label “black”.

Once you slice the tomatoes, you see that the inside of the Vintage Wine Heirloom tomato has few seeds and is red in hue and shows just a little bit yellow striping on the blossom end of the tomato. As you move to the stem, the slices appear to be mostly red; you have to look at the skin to really confirm the striping. The Black Brandywine Heirloom tomato has the characteristic red-green interior. The seeds of the Brandywine tomato seem a bit large and are covered in the greenish “jelly” around them in contrast to the red flesh of the tomato

Plated Slices of Vintage Wine and Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes

Review Tastes of Vintage Wine and Black Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes

These tomato slices were plated and served with a few sprigs of watercress for color contrast as well as a small amount of “bite” to contrast with the sweetness of the tomatoes. Vintage Wine has been a bit of a puzzle in my tasting. This particular tomato was sweet-tart with a firm texture to the flesh. It went well with the plain salt-and-pepper approach. It held up well on the plate. Later in the season, I did get one tomato that was mushy in texture and less tasty. The other tastings have been a nice tart and sweet balance. I will plant this again, because the best specimens tasted great, but am a bit puzzled as to why I had one or two less tasty ones.

Black Brandywine produces nicely rounded fruit, but is somewhat soft in texture. Some of the tomatoes did not hold up well, bruising more easily or slitting quicker than other varieties. When sliced and eaten right away, like this one, the tomato is very juicy and flavorful. I have to admit that I am not much of one for the “black” tomatoes. I think I still would prefer pink or yellow brandywine. However, I will enjoy these while I can, but probably will not plant this variety again, because I have to be “gentler” with the fruit. I must admit, the two tomatoes made a nice contrast to each other on the plate.

My bottom line to you, though, is plant what intrigues you, pleases you, or pleases someone you love. I have and will continue to share with you, but tastes and preferences definitely vary. I do know that my flavor preference includes tarter elements than other members of my family, as an example.

Aloha, DoT

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