Coronation grapes are small to medium in size and are round to slightly oval in shape. Their skin is deep purple to nearly black, and some varieties may have a waxy bloom or film on the surface to prevent moisture loss. The skin is firm and does not slip from its flesh. The flesh is translucent, tender, and less crunchy than most red or green table grapes. Although coronation grapes are defined as seedless, occasionally they will contain one to two almost unrecognizable tiny, edible, fleshy and underdeveloped seeds. Coronation grapes are juicy with a sweet, grapey muscat flavour.

Coronation grapes are best suited for raw applications and are most often eaten fresh, out-of-hand or tossed into green salads. They can also be pressed to make juice and dried to make raisins. Coronation grapes can be roasted and cooked down into sauces and jams, baked into pies, or frozen and whipped into an instant sorbet. The rich flavour and inherent sugar content of grape juice is also a natural sweetener for fresh fruit cocktails. Coronation grapes pair well with thyme, mint, rosemary, honey, balsamic vinegar, rich cream, blue cheese, lemonade, orange juice, asparagus, almond, and pistachio. They will keep up to a week when stored in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator.