Grape 'Golubok'

Obtained from: Severny x a mixture of pollen from the varieties 40 Let Oktyabrya, Odeskyi Ranniy and No. 1-17-54 (Alicante Bouschet x Cabernet Sauvignon)

Author: IViV named after V.E. Tairov, Ukraine

Grape Golubok (Vitis) – a technical grape variety of European-Amur origin of Ukrainian breeding. Ripening period - early; the length of the growing season from budburst to full maturity at IViV named after V.E. Tairov is 130 days with a sum of active temperatures 2400-2630 °C. Harvest period for table wines – the third ten-day period of September, for fortified and dessert wines – the first ten days of October.

Vines are medium vigorous. Flower is hermaphrodite. Shoot vigor is medium. One-year-old shoots mature well (85-90%). Tips of young shoots are light green with a wine-red margin, slightly pubescent. Young leaves are green with a bronze tint and a wine-red margin; pubescence on both sides is cobwebby and of medium density. A one-year-old matured shoot is brown with wine-red nodes. Leaves are medium-sized, rounded, nearly entire or three-lobed, dark green, stiff. Upper sinuses are small, open, either V-shaped or lyre-shaped. Lower sinuses are absent or barely indicated as a V-shaped notch. Petiole sinus open, vaulted. Teeth at the ends of the lobes triangular with a broad base. Margin serrations triangular, low. Pubescence on the lower leaf surface is absent.

Bunches are medium, length 15-17 and width 9-11 cm, conical to cylindro-conical, often winged, of medium density. Peduncle short - 4 cm long, herbaceous. Average bunch weight 100-120 g. Berry medium-sized (diameter 15 mm), round, black with a strong wax bloom. Average weight of 100 berries 160 g. Skin thin, strong. Flesh juicy, juice intensely colored. Taste simple, pleasant, with notes of blackcurrant and poppy. Yield is high. In the experimental plantings of IViV named after V.E. Tairov it amounted to 114 c/ha. On a developed shoot 1.5-2, on a fruiting shoot 1.8-2.4 bunches. Fruiting shoots 80-93%. Shoots developing from replacement buds are fruitful and can compensate for yield loss if central buds are lost. Bunch composition is typical for wine varieties, %: juice - 79.2, stems - 3.8, seeds - 4.2, skin and pulp - 12.8; however, in dry years there is an increase in the proportion of solids and a reduction of juice share to 70%. Berry sugar content in the Odessa region over the years of study was 22-23 g/100 ml, acidity 6-8 g/l.

Key characteristics of the variety are: densely foliated shoots with dark green stiff leaves; conical, often winged bunches; early-ripening berries with intensely ruby-colored juice. Seedlings have thin shoots and a large number of lateral shoots. Leaves small, entire, glossy, glabrous. Autumn leaf color wine-red.

Frost hardiness zone: 5-8 (-26°C).

Site: not demanding to soil, but grows better on light, well-warmed and well-drained ground.

Planting and care: similar to those for cultivated grape. It is recommended to use gibberellin after fruit set to increase berry size and even out berry size. Spacing between vines at least 2.5-3 m. Preferably grown grafted onto vigorous rootstocks with moderate shoot load and removal of weakly developed shoots.

Pruning: recommended to train as a double-arm cordon on trunks 80 cm high. Pruning of fruiting canes is carried out leaving 6-8 buds. Average load per vine 40-45 buds.

Diseases and pests: weakly affected by fungal diseases - downy mildew and powdery mildew (oidium). Berries are affected by gray rot only in epidemic years. The variety is tolerant to root phylloxera attack.

Propagation: good graft union compatibility with rootstocks Riparia x Rupestris 101-14 and 3309.

Use: has a high content of coloring and tannic substances, therefore recommended for blending to produce deeply colored table, fortified and dessert wines.