I am making a wine and grape cake for a 40th birthday party. I have been looking online for a technique to make realistic grapes from fondant and have not really found anything that is helpful. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Too funny! I'm doing a cake next weekend with the same theme and for a 40th Birthday, too! I'm doing grapes in both purple and green. I bought some luster dust and I'm going to brush them on the grapes, to give it a more finished look. I hope it works. Other than that, maybe someone else will have some good idea. Good luck!

The luster dust is a good idea. I was thinking of using floral wire to create the bunches so they do not look like they were just piled on.

I watched an episode of Amazing Wedding Cakes and the group from White Flower shop did an awesome cake with a wine bottle. And grapes. They airbrushed the grapes but luster dust will work. I mix mine sometimes with the vodka and I find it can give a darker sheen. You may try that for contrast. The wire idea sounds like a good idea. I need to make a rose bush what kind of wire do you use?

In the craft stores just the regular thin flexible flower wire.

Debra,
I used woppers malted balls glued together with melted chocolate and then painted them with wilton icing gel. Hope this helps

Can you show us a photo of how it looks. I can't seem to understand how icing gel would stick to the chocolate on the whoppers. I'm thinking that maybe a dusting of purple luster dust would give it a deep purple hue. I love the idea - just need to see it to believe it.

If nicunurse's Wopper grapes are the ones on" Marcys 40th" then they look awesome! You'd never know they were Woppers! Great job!

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1986155