Black Pearl grapes: characteristics and description of the variety, planting and care

Grapes Black pearl in its parameters is a classic wine variety, but many gardeners mistakenly consider it universal. The taste qualities of berries are introduced into error, the pulp and juice of which are in no way inferior in terms of sweetness and tenderness to the fruits of table grapes. And still the best grape reveals itself precisely as a raw material for wine - the nutmeg aftertaste of the drink differs in stability uncharacteristic for red varieties.

Grade description

Black pearl is a hybrid variety of technical red grapes. It was bred at VNIIViV them. ME AND. Potapenko, entered in the register in 2005. Black pearls were obtained by crossing two hybrids: the first - from the varieties Amur and August, the second - a descendant of Levokumsky and the Centaur of Magarachev.

Structural features

Black pearl grapes are classified as vigorous. The size of the leaves on the vines is average, the young have five pronounced lobes, the mature ones have a pentagonal shape with deep cuts. The outer side of the sheet plate is bubbling, the edges are bent upward, and on the back there is an edge of the felt type. Distinctive feature varieties - the length of the petioles coincides with the length of the central vein of the leaf.

Small clusters, cylindrical, tapering at the bottom in the shape of a cone. The berry filling density is average. The fruits are slightly elongated, oval, when ripened, they turn dark blue.

Fruit characterization

A variety of medium early ripening. In the middle lane, the fruits reach full ripeness in early September, in the southern regions in mid-August.

The flesh of the berries of the Black Pearl is light, fleshy in structure, characterized by great juiciness. The juice is colorless with a yellowish tinge. Sugar content in fruits is 23-24%, acid concentration is 6-7 g / l. The taste of berries is pleasant, there is a nutmeg taste. Fruit have a pronounced aroma.

Nutmeg notes are preserved in wine in the form of a persistent aftertaste that does not deplete after a long exposure. The aged dessert wine made from Black Pearl grapes was highly rated by experts - 9 points out of 10. Table wine is estimated at 7.9 points.

Variety Productivity

Level productivity Grape Black Pearl Above Average:

• weaving plantation gives up to 130 kg of fruit;
• from each bush you can collect about 7 kg of berries;
• the average weight of the bunch is 300 g;
• the weight of one berry is 3-5 g;
• the fruiting coefficient of the variety is 1.7.

The plant begins to yield 2 years after planting the cuttings.

Sustainability

The variety is distinguished by good indicators of endurance:

1. Grape has frost resistance, the vine tolerates frosts down to -26 ° C without loss of yield. But already lowering to a temperature of -28 ° C, as gardeners note, leads to a loss of 75-80% of the next year's crop.
2. Black pearls are not afraid of spring frosts. During flowering, the grapes can withstand up to -3 ... -5 ° C without consequences for subsequent fruiting.
3. The bushes can be sick with fungal diseases, but the variety is quite resistant to them: grapes have high immunity (1 point) to powdery mildew, to mildew - above average (1.5-2 points).Weak resistance to anthracnose.
4. Among diseases caused by non-fungal infections, grapes most often affect bacterial cancer and bacteriosis.
5. The variety is susceptible to damage by phylloxera and several types of spider mite - ordinary, red, hornbeam.
6. Berries rarely damage wild wasps.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

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Assessing the Black Pearl variety from the point of view of winegrowers, it is worth noting such advantages as:

• high survival of cuttings;
• good compatibility with stocks;
• the ability to cultivate in a temperate climate;
• high taste qualities of wine;
• the intensity of the nutmeg aftertaste and aroma during long-term storage of the drink;
• the culinary value of the fruit;
• the ability of vines to withstand a large load without consequences for taste and size of berries.

The disadvantages of the variety should be attributed not high enough productivity for amateur growing.

Features of agricultural technology varieties

Grapes Black pearls are easy to propagate. Gardeners note that the cuttings are well rooted, landing can be carried out both in spring and autumn. The plant does not have specific requirements for the place or procedure of planting - it is advisable to choose a sunny, sheltered from the wind section, not prone to stagnation of water in the ground.

Caring for the bush also involves a standard set of techniques for the culture - feeding and pruning, shelter for the winter, weed removal and weekly irrigation.

The list of agronomic nuances relevant to the cultivation of the variety is short:

1. The bush is recommended to be formed in 2 shoulders 1 m high.
2. Pruning of fruitful shoots should be carried out at the level of 3-4 buds.
3. On the bush, it is optimal to leave no more than 18 shoots.

4. To protect against root aphids, it is advised to plant the vine on varieties that are immune to it. It is preferable to use American vigorous rootstocks.
5. Due to the instability of the variety to damage by a spider mite, prophylactic treatment of bushes with acaricidal preparations should be carried out. Sharing on the vine of ladybugs and flower bugs that feed on insects can significantly reduce the risk of pests on grapes.
6. Against leaf phylloxera, it is worthwhile to spray twice with systemic insecticides with a break of 2 weeks during the summer period of adults.

Reviews of winegrowers

Eugene, 42 years old:

“In my personal ranking among the red varieties of technical grapes, Black Pearl is one of the first places. The expressive muscat flavor, in my opinion, is not worse than that of the Hamburg Misket, although the berries are smaller. But in terms of resistance to disease and freezing, Black Pearl will give it a big head start. At first, my bushes grew quite slowly, although all the seedlings took root, but subsequently they showed their growth power. "

Marina, 35 years old:

“So far I have only a few young bushes of Black Pearl, so I don’t make wine from it, but I tried to mix the juice in a must with Pinot Noir. An additive in the amount of a tenth of the total volume already gives the finished wine a light nutmeg note in taste and bouquet. Basically, we consume fresh berries - for a techie, the taste is more than worthy. They prefer to harvest by drying, the raisins from Black pearls are perfect. ”

Victor, 54 years old:

“For five years of cultivation, I have never seen mildew on the bushes of Zh. This grape winter with me under the film and does not freeze, I live in the Volgograd region. Families quite successfully grow near Voronezh. "

It is advisable to cultivate the Black Pearl grape variety on an industrial scale: in this case, 1.3 kg per 1 m2 of the vineyard that the variety produces is considered a high yield. For a small plantation grown privately for the purpose of producing homemade wine, this indicator makes the variety unprofitable.