Cultivate Cold-Resistant Grapes: Alfa and Isabella Varieties for Your Garden
libre
Grapes are a highly valuable plant in terms of yield, taste qualities, and chemical composition. Below is a description of grape varieties cultivated in home gardens. Grape varieties can be divided based on their frost resistance into:
- non-covering varieties
- varieties with light covering in certain winters
- coverable varieties
Non-Covering Varieties
Non-covering varieties are widely spread in the central zone, known for high yield and low maintenance requirements.
Grape Variety Alpha
The upper side of the leaf is smooth, dull green, sometimes netted. The underside is light green with clear veins covered by short light-gray bristles. The petiole is half the size of the blade.
Resistant to fungal diseases. Grows well without spraying. There are 2-3 inflorescences per shoot. The flower is bisexual, the cluster length is 10-12 cm, short and compact. The berries are black with a reddish-brown tint, even in size, 11-14 mm, with an 'Isabella' taste.
Growth strength is medium, up to 2 meters. Good ripening. Produces good seedlings at one-year-old age. Fruiting occurs in the third year. Suitable for uncovered cultivation. Winters without covering, abundant fruiting.
Grape Variety Isabella
Dark green on the upper side, with a grayish-white lower side due to dense woolly pubescence. Flowers are bisexual. The cluster is cylindrical, sometimes winged, loose. The berry is slightly elongated, black with heavy waxy bloom, with a characteristic strawberry flavor.
The variety does not require covering, vigorous, suitable for vertical landscaping, and is popular among enthusiasts.
Grape Variety Lydia
Resistant to mildew and oidium. Late ripening. Quite high yield. Flowers are bisexual. The leaf is round, densely pubescent on the underside.
The cluster is medium, conical, and loose. Berry is large, round, red with a waxy purple bloom. The pulp is slimy, with a good balance of acidity and sweetness and a delicate strawberry flavor. Winters without covering.
Grape Variety Noah
The berry is medium, round, greenish-yellow. The strawberry aroma is strongly expressed. Winters without covering, good for vertical landscaping. Cuttings take root well.
Grape Variety Sweet Black
The grape variety Sweet Black was developed by I.V. Michurin through seed sowing and subsequent selection of the best seedlings. Since 1934, it has been propagated in the Central Genetic Laboratory (CGL) and has become part of many regions' assortments. It deserves widespread distribution.
It is one of the earliest grape varieties, well-wintering without covering. The flower is bisexual. The flowering period coincides with seedling Malengra and Madelaine Angevine varieties, for which Sweet Black is a good pollinator. The vegetative period lasts 100-130 days with sums of active temperatures from 200 to 2600°.
Clusters are 8-12 cm, cylindrical or cylinder-conical, very dense, so the berries often bulge out from the cluster due to compression. The berry color is dark blue with a waxy bloom. The skin is fairly dense but not coarse. The pulp is juicy and melting, with a good balance of sweetness and acidity, tasty, lacking aroma. The juice is light, uncolored.
Thanks to its high sugar content, Sweet Black berries are edible when berries darken long before full ripening. When fully ripe, the berries in clusters become raisin-like, suitable for winter storage. The growth is strong, up to 10m. Ripening of the vine is good, the variety is suitable for vertical landscaping.
Medium-sized, five-lobed leaves. The leaf surface is shiny, rarely bristly or cobwebby. A special merit of the variety is that it is not affected by fungal diseases and can be cultivated without sprays, which is often hindered in wall culture.
Varieties with Light Covering in Certain Winters
There are grape varieties that should be tested for cultivation without covering or with light covering in certain winters.
Grape Variety Queen of the Vineyards
Berries are very large, individual berries reach 27mm in length and 22mm in width, with a beautiful golden-amber color. The taste is very pleasant, with a delicate muscat aroma. The variety is bisexual. The vine ripens satisfactorily; with proper topping, it ripens well.
Strong bush growth, high yield. Fruits well on stepchildren. Generally, this variety bears fruit early. It is very sensitive to mildew in rainy weather. It is also affected by oidium, which is why the Queen of the Vineyards grows better when planted with individual bushes spaced apart, matching the conditions of household plots. With good lighting and enough heat, it is an excellent variety despite the noted shortcomings.
Grape Variety Madeleine Angevine
With great growth strength (4-5m and more) and good vine maturation, it is very interesting for wall landscaping when planted mixed with a pollinating variety. Madeleine Angevine is affected by mildew, but less than the Chaush variety. For this variety, berry infection is particularly dangerous before ripening when spraying usually ceases.
The value of Madeleine is that its early large berries, with a decorative golden color, create advantages over a wide range of very early maturing varieties. Large, loose clusters, dense but not coarse skin suitable for transportation.
Grape Variety Pervenets Praskoveysky
The grape variety Pervenets Praskoveysky is a standard, high-yielding table variety of very early ripening - by August 1st. The flowering and ripening periods of the berries are very short, allowing the vine to mature well. The sweetness of the berries is noted as low, but thanks to a good combination with acidity, the berry flavor is good even with incomplete physiological maturity.
The Pervenets Praskoveysky is almost nonexistent in pure varietal plantings, despite being developed in the Stavropol Territory in the village of Praskoveya over a hundred years ago. Pervenets Praskoveysky, having many advantages, remains mostly as a supplement to other varieties and is spread in several regions. It is a bisexual variety.
Flowering periods - the first decade of June. The variety is of medium growth strength. Moderately affected by mildew, in hot summers, it is almost unaffected. It raises great interest among enthusiasts in resort areas. Its distribution is restricted by the lack of planting material and poor popularization.
Grape Variety Pearl of Csaba
The first plantings were in Ukraine back in 1913. The vine matures well, possessing high firmness. The growth strength of the bushes is medium. The flower is bisexual, with medium to large, conical clusters, loose or of medium density. Berries are round, medium-sized or large.
Does not possess resistance to fungal diseases. Pearl of Csaba requires systematic spraying to ensure a good harvest. The standard load for an adult bush is up to 30 eyes, 16-18 clusters. It does not tolerate overloading. The variety is quite drought-resistant, indicating its potential in steppe regions of our area.
It should be planted sparsely, on light sandy soils, in well-illuminated places. The taste of the Pearl of Csaba berries is very high, with juicy, very sweet pulp, a pleasant acidity (not bland), and a fine muscat aroma. Few seeds in berries, thin skin.
Pearl of Csaba holds significant value for resort areas. Its spread is constrained by the lack of planting material. It propagates well from cuttings. Note: the Pearl of Csaba harvest is often attacked by sparrows, destroying a large portion of it.
Grape Variety Hungarian Muscat
Berries are round, slightly flattened, variable in form. The skin is thick but not very firm, the flesh crisp, melting when eaten, with a very pleasant, harmonious taste, and a strong muscat aroma. The variety matures early compared to other muscats. The vine matures well, indicating the possibility of successful cultivation from cuttings. Growth strength - medium. Annual yields exceed average, or are average.
It blooms in early June, indicating its suitability as a pollinator for other early varieties with a functionally female type of flower. Moderate mildew sensitivity, more susceptible to oidium. Cracked berries are heavily affected by wasps. Pruning is recommended annually, as shoot growth lags concerning berry ripening. The bush is weak but responds well to watering and fertilization.
Hungarian muscat berries are consumed fresh, combining sugar and acidity harmoniously. During the ripening period, sugar accumulates quickly, and acidity decreases faster, raising its value as a table variety. During the Hungarian muscat ripening period, no other table varieties can compete with it. White muscat is more demanding of growth conditions and soil. The variety is bisexual.
Grape Variety Hamburg Muscat
Hamburg muscat is susceptible to bud freezing. It accumulates high sugar content even in rainy autumn. An excellent table variety with good transportability and large dark blue berries.
Grape Variety Portugieser
Portugieser is an early-ripening variety with a short vegetative period. Flowering period - the first decade of June. With bisexual flowers, it can serve as a good pollinator. Moderately sized clusters, loose or medium dense. Berry size is medium, 11-15mm. Dark blue in color, round. Skin tender, thin, pulp juicy.
The taste of the berries is very soft, pleasant, refreshing, fully satisfactory for a table variety. Leaves are small, hairless on both sides. The vine has relatively short internodes of yellow-brown color, matures well, grows quickly. The variety easily propagates from cuttings, and it can be planted in permanent locations. Portugieser matures several days earlier than the Chasselas variety.
Portugieser is a low-transportable variety, which is why most of the harvest is processed into wine. However, it is of little value for winemaking since it produces simple ordinary wines. Portugieser is best suited for cultivation in suburban areas and on household plots as the main early table grape variety.
Coverable Varieties
Coverable varieties are grape varieties that require covering.
Grape Variety Chasselas
Leaves are small or medium-sized, funnel-shaped, five-lobed, with edges bent downwards. Flowers are bisexual. Berries and clusters are medium-sized; in white and muscat Chasselas, they are light green, in rose under sunlit conditions - dark pink. There may also be brown spots. With a lack of moisture - weak growth, with good water supply - medium strength.
Complete vine maturation. Often the main buds and even older arms are damaged during frequent weather changes in wintering periods, but this variety produces a yield on suckers. Berries are well preserved on the bushes. They do not crack or rot. The variety is relatively resistant to mildew.
Although the skin is very thin, the variety tolerates transportation adequately. It is very suitable for suburban plantings in resort areas. From Chasselas harvests, non-alcoholic juices can be made. Suitable for home gardens, but due to small bushes, not suitable for wall culture.
Grape Variety Gros Coltan
The grape variety Gros Coltan particularly stands out in certain characteristics. It has large, round, three-lobed leaves, wrinkled netted on the top, with dense woolly pubescence below. Flowers are bisexual. Clusters vary from medium to large in size, sometimes broad-conical and other times almost cylindrical.
Large and very large berries, up to 30 mm in length and 18 mm in width, rounded, mature grape color is black, covered with a sparse bluish waxy bloom, the flesh is meaty and juicy. Taste is slightly sour. Suitable for cultivation in greenhouses as a table variety of late ripening with large exhibition-type berries.
Grape Variety Nimrang
Large berries, round or slightly oval, greenish-white. When exposed to sunlight, they have a pale pink tint. The flesh is dense and crunchy. The taste is harmonious, sweet, refreshing. Nimrang is the most valuable among all table grape varieties, but it has many significant drawbacks. The pollinator - saperavi. Apart from the size, beauty, and pleasant taste, Nimrang berries are distinguished by strength and longevity.
Grape Variety Agadai
Clusters and berries are beautiful, differing by good durability and transportability. Flowers are bisexual. Berries are large and very large, their shape varies significantly. When fully mature, they turn yellow. Skin is rough. Taste is simple, low-sugar, tart.
