Description and characteristics of Carmen grape variety, planting and cultivation

Description, characteristics of the variety

The Carmen variety, obtained as a result of selective crossing, is not demanding on the composition of the soil and is able to tolerate low temperatures and lack of moisture without consequences. An adult plant with bright green foliage takes the form of a large bush with two-meter shoots, along the entire length of which fruits form and ripen.

The high yield is due to the self-pollinating nature of the hybrid. Bisexual flowers bloom in May, and the fruits ripen in August. The variety forms large clusters weighing up to 2 kilograms with a wide base at the point of attachment to the stem and tapering towards the end.

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Carmen is a large-fruited variety with oval, elongated berries from reddish-lilac to deep purple. Thin-skinned fruits with elastic, juicy pulp have a sweet taste. The average sugar content is 20% with an acidity not exceeding 8 grams/liter.

Characteristics of Carmen grapes:

Cuttings with good rooting ability grow quickly. The unpretentiousness of the plant and the quality of the berries, which ripen relatively early, set the variety apart from its competitors.

selection events

The grape assortment is being updated and improved continuously. At the current stage, indigenous grape varieties have begun to attract special attention from Crimean producers and breeders. To guarantee a quality harvest of delicate European varieties, only the southern coast of Crimea is suitable. For the steppe, foothill, coastal and eastern viticulture regions in Crimea, the most promising are resistant varieties created by scientists, including those based on indigenous (autochthonous, local) varieties that have a complex of economically valuable traits. We are confident that serious study of indigenous varieties of Crimea promises us many interesting discoveries.

Real Crimean grapes

Cevat Kara

Photo: Selection Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNIIViV “Magarach” RAS”

It is difficult to say exactly how many indigenous grape varieties exist in Crimea, as there is no reliable list yet. A number of local varieties discovered at the beginning of the twentieth century could not be preserved and disappeared. To date, scientists have counted about 110 indigenous grape varieties in Crimea (80 of them grow in the Sudak region). Among them, the most famous are Ekim Kara, Dzhevat Kara, Kefesia, Kapselsky white, Solnechnodolinsky, Sary Pandas, Kok Pandas, Sary Kabak, Shabash, etc. Our institute has collected 73 Crimean indigenous varieties in its ampelographic collection, which are valuable genetic material for further breeding work.

Tashly

Photo: Selection Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNIIViV “Magarach” RAS”

In pre-revolutionary Russia, only some of the indigenous varieties continued to be cultivated in the old centers of viticulture - in the Sudak region (Kokur, Shabash, Asma, Tashly) and in the western valleys of Crimea. The entire mass of local varieties, used in winemaking under the general name “varietal mixture,” was neglected by Crimean winegrowers. From the middle of the 19th century, a passion for Western European grape varieties began, due to which the area of ​​vineyards was expanded (by the way, bringing phylloxera and diseases along with them).

Sabbat

Photo: Selection Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNIIViV “Magarach” RAS”

The most insightful of the scientists pointed out the need for a more serious study of indigenous varieties and their introduction into culture. Professor A. N. Beketov wrote in 1858: “Instead of starting a new Rhineland district, a new Medoc and Grenada in miniature on the southern coast of Crimea, first of all we should pay attention to our own, home remedies: in the native vineyards there are century-old vines , and among them there are those who produce wine no worse than Burgundy and Spanish.”

The hardiest grapes

Kephesia

Photo: Selection Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNIIViV “Magarach” RAS”

Almost all native varieties are characterized by relatively high tolerance to unfavorable natural and climatic conditions, and, importantly, high-quality wine material is obtained from the grapes of these varieties. These conclusions, in particular, were made on the basis of research conducted by specialists from Solnechnaya Dolina and the National Institute of Grapes and Wine “Magarach”. Many of the above-mentioned natives are already used in breeding as initial forms as carriers of adaptability and drought resistance polygenes.

Scientists have proven (Golodriga, P.Ya., Melkonyan, M.V., Likhovskoy V.V.) that there are no genetic barriers to combining economically valuable traits in one variety, including high quality berries and field resistance to fungal diseases , phylloxera and abiotic factors. As a result of interspecific selection for complex resistance, a number of grape varieties were created that were included in the state register of protected breeding achievements in Russia and Ukraine. These are the table grape varieties Assol, Hercules, Yuzhnoberezhny and Yalta seedless.

In the selection of resistant technical grape varieties, success was achieved by breeding white-berry varieties Pervenets Magaracha, Podarok Magaracha, Riesling Magaracha, Tsitronny Magaracha, Aurora Magaracha; black berries - Alminsky, Antey Magarachsky, In Memory of Golodriga and Krasen. And one of the first successful results was the development of a new highly frost-resistant technical grape variety, Kephesia Magaracha, based on the indigenous varieties Kefesia and Iphigenia with unique qualitative characteristics of the grape harvest.

Article on the topic: Grape variety Tsytsa Vachiy

Crown

Photo: Selection Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNIIViV “Magarach” RAS”

What will help Crimean viticulture

The production of resistant grape varieties obtained through interspecific hybridization shows the high profitability of their cultivation, but the attitude towards them, however, is ambiguous, especially in Crimea. This is evidenced by the area of ​​vineyards. Thus, the area under the Pervenets Magaracha variety in Crimea is 26.5 hectares, in the Russian Federation - 3681 hectares. Gift of Magarach - 30.5 hectares, in the Russian Federation 970 hectares; Citron Magaracha - 54 hectares, in the Russian Federation 527 hectares.

At the same time, the share of imports of table grapes in the Russian Federation is up to 80 percent or more (more than 18 billion rubles in monetary terms). The situation is similar in winemaking. In 2022, wine imports increased by almost 40%, to 244.4 million liters. Russia produced 319.7 million liters of its own wines (not counting champagne and sparkling wines). This situation requires taking urgent measures to develop domestic viticulture and winemaking.

One of the unreasonable obstacles on this path, concerning the Republic of Crimea, is the ban on subsidies for planting and cultivating home-rooted vineyards (which does not exist in other regions of Russia), planted with resistant varieties of selection of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "VNIIViV "Magarach" RAS", included in the state register of breeding achievements Russian Federation during 1992–2017.

These varieties include: Firstborn of Magaracha, Danko Magaracha, Gift of Magaracha, Risus, Citron Magaracha, Rkatsiteli Magaracha, Alminsky, Antey Magarachsky, Ruby Golodrigi, Tavkveri Magaracha, Garnet Magaracha, Intervitis Magaracha, Aurora Magaracha, Memory of Golodriga, Spartan Magaracha, Krasen, Muscat Golodriga, Bukovinka, Yuzhnoberezhny, Chocolate, Muscat Livadia, Lyubitelsky, Gurzuf pink, Oleg, Livadia black (the list is updated annually).

These varieties have been tested against an infectious background at the Magarach Institute, in various state variety plots and collections in various regions of Russia (in the Krasnodar Territory alone, the vineyard area occupied by them is more than 3 thousand hectares).

State support for planting plantings of own-rooted seedlings of these varieties in the “risky viticulture” zones of the Republic of Crimea would stimulate a sharp increase in the production of grape and wine products in connection with the opening of transport traffic with the mainland.

Without detracting from the advantages of classical (European) grape varieties, we consider it advisable, depending on the frost danger of the zone, to have a share of resistant varieties: in the steppe zone - up to 50%; in the western foothill-coastal subzone and coastal part - up to 25%; in the eastern part of Crimea - up to 30%; and on the southern coast of Crimea - to fully concentrate the cultivation of delicate European varieties, where obtaining a standard harvest is guaranteed for the production of high-quality vintage wines of controlled appellations at the place of origin.

Such state support for the industry would make it possible to expand the raw material base of grapes by involving new lands and new producers in agricultural circulation. Reduce the pesticide load on the natural environment, produce environmentally friendly products (without toxic chemicals). Reduce the cost per unit of production and its retail price and resolve the issue of import substitution. And finally, to carry out the widespread introduction into production of the breeding achievements of the Magarach Institute and thereby raise the authority of domestic science in the field of viticulture.

Zarmaev Ali Alkhazurovich, doctor of agricultural sciences Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Crimea, All-Russian National Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking “Magarach” of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Grape press Khersones

Photo: Sergey Petukhov

Grape press Khersones

Photo: Sergey Petukhov

Vineyard Chersonesos

Photo: Sergey Petukhov

Floor mosaic with a grape pattern - Chersonesos temple, 6th century AD.

Photo: Sergey Petukhov

Landing Features

Grapes are propagated by cuttings, layering and rootstock. Viable seedlings take root quickly. The optimal season for planting is spring, when the average daily air temperature does not fall below +10 °C.

For the vineyard, choose a sunny area, preferably on the south, southwest side.

The planting site is prepared in the fall by digging up the soil with the addition of complex fertilizer or humus. The plant is undemanding to the soil, but areas with stagnant groundwater should be avoided or their level should be adjusted by forming an embankment.

In the spring, dig a planting hole with a diameter of 0.5-0.6 meters and a depth of 0.7 meters. A layer of manure is placed at the bottom of the depression, which is covered with a layer of soil. The seedling is placed in the prepared hole so that the root collar is visible above the surface. Sprinkle the plant with soil, tamp it down and water it.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of the variety include:

• The taste characteristics are excellent.
• Beautiful, elegant brushes and berries.
• Frost resistance up to – 30 degrees.
• Good transportability.
• High yield - up to 6 kg per bush.
• Resistant to many fungal diseases and wasps.

Flaws:

• Sometimes it can be affected by Mildew and oidium.
• Requires yield rationing. It is recommended to leave up to 36 eyes. Fruiting vines are pruned into 8 buds.
• The description of the variety “Carmen” characterizes it as one of the sought-after, popular varieties in modern gardening.

Further care of the crop

Growing a variety on the site will not require much time and effort from the owner. Post-planting care for Carmen grapes includes:

• removal of weeds;
• loosening the soil around the bushes;
• watering;
• feeding;
• vine pruning;
• fight against infections.

Watering is done as the soil dries out. During the dry period - once every 405 days. Water the bushes before the fruits begin to ripen. Then watering is stopped, but the need to loosen the soil remains.

Fertilizing is carried out twice a year. In the fall, organic matter is applied under the bushes, and in the spring, mineral fertilizers rich in potassium and phosphorus are applied. Trim the vine in early spring, before sap begins to flow, leaving no more than 8 buds.

To avoid diseases affecting grapes, in the spring, before flowering, preventive treatment of plantings against infections and pests is carried out.

Carménère is a classic technical grape variety

Carménère is a grape variety used primarily for making wine. It has well-developed powerful bushes and belongs to the medium ripening type. This variety grows well exclusively in warm regions with fertile soil. Grapes contain a large amount of sugar, which is why they are not consumed uncooked. In this material, we will analyze what features the Carmenère variety has, what its vines, clusters are, the level of productivity, what kind of care this crop requires, as well as how to properly prune it and protect the grapes from pests and diseases.

Description of the Carmenere grape variety

Carménère is a grape variety used in winemaking. It was known in France back in the 19th century. Due to the phylloxera epidemic, it was replaced by other varieties that are more resistant to this disease: Cabernet and Merlot. After this, the variety was practically not used in France. But at the end of the twentieth century, mass plantings of this crop were discovered in Italy and Chile, where it remains one of the main ones among winemakers to this day.

Currently, the variety is rated very highly due to its taste, ease of care and unpretentiousness to soils. It is bred mainly in the southern regions or grown in greenhouses.

A special feature of this variety is the specific herbal flavor of wines prepared on its basis. To obtain this taste, the product is aged for up to 10 years. It is also often combined with other grape varieties to obtain an original flavor.

Properties

Carménère is a grape variety that has high sugar levels. Because of this feature, it has a high calorie content and may be contraindicated for people suffering from diabetes. People who adhere to proper nutrition or any diet are not recommended to introduce this product into their diet in the form of table grapes. You can consume no more than 100 grams of culture per day. In moderate quantities, carménère can improve a person’s overall well-being, tone up the body and provide essential vitamins and minerals.

Calorie content

Like many technical varieties belonging to the Cabernet family, the presented grapes belong to high-calorie products. Its calorie content is 67 kcal per 100 grams. Due to its high calorie content, it is introduced into the diet sparingly. This variety is usually not given to children under 6 years of age.

Due to its high calorie content, the variety is used mainly for making rose or red wine. This variety is widely used for these purposes in Chile, less often in France. It can also be used to prepare raisins, used for making baked goods or confectionery products.

Benefits and harms

Carmenere grapes will be useful for people with blood diseases, it will improve the condition of the heart and blood vessels, and will have a beneficial effect on the overall tone of the body. In addition, it promotes the production of collagen and elastin in tissues, which contributes to overall rejuvenation of the body. This material will tell you about grape seed oil for the face.

If we talk about the category of people for whom this variety is contraindicated, then they should include those who suffer from diabetes, peptic ulcers of the intestines and stomach, or have individual sensitivity to grapes.

Since the presented grapes contain a high concentration of sugar, they are not recommended for consumption by people prone to obesity. It can lead to sudden weight gain.

Acidity

The acidity level of this variety is 6-8 grams per liter. At the same time, Carmenere berries contain a fairly high concentration of sugar - up to 23% in the fruit. These characteristics are retained by the crop regardless of the region where it is grown, the level of watering and fertilization of the grapes. Under good growing conditions, the taste characteristics of the variety improve, it develops a rich chocolate taste, as well as a rich aroma.

Due to the high level of sugar in this variety, Carmenere grapes are commonly used to make wines. It is used very rarely as a table variety and only on private farms.

Characteristics of the bush

Carménère has powerful, strong bushes that usually reach a height of 2 meters. There are always a lot of shoots on them. Since the plants take root very well in any type of soil, they need to be fertilized moderately so that the bushes do not grow too much. Since the crop has a low yield level, it is recommended to prune the bushes short once a season. The culture is resistant to diseases, but sensitive to weather changes. Cold winds and prolonged rains during flowering can negatively affect the inflorescences, lead to the falling of flowers and, as a result, a decrease in yield.

Carménère has a powerful dark brown vine that usually matures at two-thirds of its length. Such a vine is capable of forming a voluminous hedge due to the abundant growth of branches and leaves. The leaves themselves of this grape variety are tight, of regular shape, and have a bright green hue. The flowers on the vine are bisexual and amenable to independent pollination. Read about the grapevine at this link.

To obtain higher yields from a shrub, the gardener should carry out repeated artificial pollination after the first natural pollination. This technique, subject to other rules of agricultural technology, allows you to increase the weight of a ripened bunch of grapes by one and a half times.

Bunch

The bunch of this grape has a teardrop shape. When the berries are fully ripe, their average weight is 800 grams, although cases have been recorded when they reached a weight of 2 kg. The average length of a bunch is 30 cm. The berries themselves, when ripe, reach a weight of 11 grams and a length of 4 cm each. The color of the berries is dark blue or dark purple, the shape is oblong.

The quality of ripe bunches directly depends on the quality of grape pruning. Only those gardeners who carried out this agrotechnical event correctly and in a timely manner can count on the formation of correct clusters with a large number of berries.

Productivity

When grown in open ground, from one bush of the presented crop you can get from 17 to 21 kilograms of berries. When planting the presented crop in a greenhouse, the yield usually increases slightly. It can be increased only through regular, proper pruning of the crop, as well as the application of the necessary fertilizers during the growing season.

The indicated fertility of grapes directly depends on the fulfillment of the requirements for agricultural technology of the crop. If it is violated, the yield of the bush will decrease significantly. This usually happens when the wrong place for planting a bush is selected, irregular application of fertilizers, and improper pruning.

Growing

The presented variety is recommended to be grown in open ground only in the southern regions. It should be borne in mind that the carmenère is afraid of low temperatures, it requires mandatory preparation for winter and can die if it freezes. To plant the presented crop, you need to choose only sunny areas of the garden with good fertile soil, preferably on black soil. Under no circumstances should this crop be planted on swampy soil - the plants may die from excessive moisture. You also need to protect carmenere from cold wind, as it can destroy the inflorescences. To do this, it is recommended to plant grape bushes in the middle of the garden or place it near a fence or wall of a house.

Planting period

This variety can be planted twice a year: in autumn or spring. The first option is considered a priority for young gardeners, since shrubs grown in this way are more likely to survive than those planted in early spring. At any time, grapes are planted in pre-prepared holes 0.8x0.8x0.8. The bush is deepened into the ground to the level of the root collar. After this, the roots are covered with soil, and the soil itself is compacted. Read about planting grape cuttings in this article.

Only healthy, strong plants are taken for planting. Cuttings with defects are discarded, as they may die in the first weeks after planting.

Ripening period

The presented hybrid is classified as a mid-season ripening variety. Carmenere berries ripen in 115-130 days. Typically, harvesting occurs between August and early October. The ripeness of the fruit is indicated by a change in color from pink to dark purple. When growing this crop in a greenhouse, the growing season may begin earlier, which will allow the timing of grape production to be delayed.

When the grapes ripen, you should immediately organize their collection and transportation (if you plan to sell them). Otherwise, the bunches will fall off, and part of the harvest will thus be lost.

In order for such a grape hybrid to develop well, it needs to be provided with competent care, which includes the following measures:

• Regular watering. Held once a month. For this procedure, water heated in the sun is used.
• Fertilizing with mineral or organic fertilizers.
• Weeding beds, loosening the soil. Can be carried out immediately after watering.
• Bush pruning.
• Mulching the soil with peat, sawdust or chopped wood.

In cold regions, where the temperature in the winter months drops below -20 degrees, the vineyard needs to be additionally covered for the winter. To do this, you can use tarpaulin and other heat-insulating materials.

Disease Prevention

This grape variety is resistant to many diseases, including powdery mildew. It is only affected by fungal diseases, including gray rot, which develop at high humidity in the vineyard. Among the parasites, the most dangerous for carménère are birds that peck away the crop. Read about protecting grapes from wasps here.

Also, in order to combat fungal diseases and parasites, the vineyard must be sprayed with special preparations once every 3-4 months during the growing season. If parasites or fungal diseases have been noted in neighboring vineyards, it is necessary to carry out spring treatment of the plants.

Trimming

This hybrid is usually pruned twice a year:

• Proper autumn pruning is carried out after harvesting: cut off broken branches, tops, as well as those shoots that have dried out.
• In early March, spring pruning of the vineyard is carried out. Each fruitful shoot is shortened to 6-8 eyes, no more. This event is carried out after stable warm weather has established with a temperature of at least -3 degrees. Read how to prune grapes in winter here.

Pruning grapes is a mandatory agrotechnical measure. If this is not carried out, the yield of the variety may be significantly reduced, and the bush itself will break off under the weight of too large branches.

Diseases and pests

Carmen grapes are susceptible to some fungal and viral infections and are attractive to insect pests. Provoking factors for infection are:

• high humidity;
• hot weather;
• lack of nutrition and mineral components;
• moisture stagnation;
• no loosening of the soil.

See also

Description and subtleties of growing Monastrell grapesRead

To avoid crop loss, it is necessary to carry out timely preventive treatment of bushes and provide the plants with proper care.

Signs of infection and ways to combat common grape diseases:

The best ways to protect against vineyard diseases remain preventative treatment of plants, rational watering, regular loosening of the soil and application of fertilizers. Fungicides and insecticides are best used in advance, in the spring, before flowering and fruiting.

Grape 'Carmen'

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Cleaning and storage

Harvesting is carried out as the cluster ripens, from the first to the third ten days of August. If good weather continues, the collection period is extended until the end of the first week of September. It must be taken into account that unripe fruits do not ripen after being picked from the bush. The color of ripe fruits is rich and uniform, the seeds are brown.

Ripe bunches are cut with scissors in the morning, in dry weather, and placed in one layer in wooden or plastic boxes covered with paper. Rotten and dried berries are removed. The harvest is stored in a refrigerator or cellar, with regular inspections of the brushes for spoilage.

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