Grapes from any other place on Earth cannot compete with the aroma, beauty, taste, and natural varieties of the grapes in the Herat valley. It requires great effort to find out how the many species of grapes developed here and what the natural cause of and contribution to the selection was. Heratis talk about 72-76 varieties of grapes in the valley, but there are 35 specific types.

The way the grape vines are cultivated in Herat is unique by itself, and this method is not used anywhere else in the world. Instead of trimming the plant to a small size in a plain land which is common anywhere in Afghanistan as well as other countries, in Herat the plant is allowed to grow as long as five to ten meters on a slope. The reason is due to the wind and other climatic and environmental factors unique to the Herat valley. Commercially, they may not be so lucrative; since they are so delicate, the grapes get spoiled in less than 48 hours. However, the taste and aroma are different from the best varieties of grapes from anywhere else in Afghanistan.

Here is a list of some common varieties of grapes available in the Herat Valley:

• Rawcha are found in two color varieties: pinkish red and yellow; they have small rounded grains. They ripens at the end of spring.
• Khalili Yellow have small elongated fat grains, and ripen after Rawcha.
• Laal come in six varieties; this variety is peculiar to Herat and cannot stand the climate of other provinces. It has been endeavored in the Kabul and Kandahar Valleys, but the plant died after a few years. This variety while ripe becomes so sweet that one cannot eat two hundred grams of it, and it can give the best wine.
• Mir Ahmadi is yellow, rounded, very fertile and massive.
• Agha Ali Pinkish is red with rounded grains.
• Askari are yellow, rounded, very beautiful but rare.
• Kishmishi has yellow, small, elongated grains specifically for drying into raisins.
• Poshangi are yellow and similar to Kishmishi but much more delicate in taste and aroma.
• Looghi Wine are red in color, with big rounded grains and resistant to climatic fluctuations and cold; they are specifically for making Herati vinegar and in the past and present the best wine. In the past, the wine was called the Best Wine of Khorosan.
• Heta are yellow with a special aroma, very elongated and with fat crispy grains.
• Fakhri ghalamak are best in the autumn, very beautiful and have the aroma of cool white cognac, yellow in color with semi elongated grains.
• Fakhri posht-e gul are very beautiful in appearance, colored yellow with shades of lilac pink, with semi elongated grains, very tasteful and resistant to cold weather.
• Monagha Reddish have pink elongated grains.
• Hosaini are yellow elongated grains with a pale lilac shade when ripe, and they are available all over Afghanistan but much more delicate with regard in taste and aroma than varieties from anywhere else.
• Maska-e are yellow rounded grains with a waxy lustre.
• Tokhm-e Kabk are rounded yellow grains and very beautiful.