Pinot Grigio grape variety: description and comparative characteristics, cultivation

Grapes have been cultivated by people for centuries. Delicious juicy berries, fragrant wine, but in order to get a good harvest, you need to choose the right variety and carefully care for the vine. The centuries-old history of the Pinot Grigio grape variety allows us to talk about it as one of the best for obtaining wines with excellent taste characteristics.

History of variety selection

Variety Pinot Grigio refers to technical grape varieties and is intended for wine production. The first mention of this variety dates back to the 13th century. Then this variety was grown exclusively in France.The wine made from the berries of this grape was especially liked by Emperor Charles IV.

Gray Pinot originally from Burgundy, but later this variety was cultivated in Italy. Italian winemakers have managed to get fragrant light wine with honey notes from the berries of this variety. Breeding work carried out by Soviet scientists P. P. Blagonravov, E. B. Ivanova and P. V. Gorobets made it possible to increase the yield of the variety and made it possible to grow it in the North Caucasus and the former Soviet republics.

In 1970, he passed the state tests, and since then has been successfully cultivated in Russia.

The best wines from the berries of this variety are produced by Italy and France, but Germany, the USA, Australia, Chile, Russia and many other countries produce their own Pinot Grigio wine. Pinot Gris is a cloned variety of the main variety grown in Switzerland.

Varieties

Pinot Grigio grapes have several varieties. It produces white and rosé wines.

American grapes

Pinot Grigio has been grown in the US state of Oregon since 1966. Through the efforts of American farmer David Lett, grapes have taken root well in the Willamette Valley. Consistently high yields have allowed wine made from grapes of this variety to become the most popular in the state. The taste characteristics of the resulting wines attract with a wide palette. Some people like spicy shades, others prefer light, refreshing notes.

To be fair, connoisseurs still prefer Italian or French wine.

Italian

Italy is not losing its leading position in the production of Pinot Grigio wines. Vineyards cover an area from the north to the south of the country.Since the variety prefers a temperate climate, the best wines from it are obtained in the northern regions: Friuli, Venetto, Alto Adige. Northern wines give off spices, almonds and contain peach notes. Italians love young wines from this grape.

External parameters and characteristics

Belongs to the group of Western European late grape varieties. With all the technical characteristics of white grapes, Pinot Grigio berries often have a reddish-brown hue. This is especially emphasized in all descriptions of the variety. Some clones of the variety are distinguished by clusters of golden green or golden color. That is why wines made from it can be white and rosé and vary in taste.

Pino, translated from French - cone. Clusters really resemble a cone: small berries are densely packed, in the center of the cluster they are sometimes deformed from compression. They can be round or slightly oval, thin skin has high strength.The bunch is distinguished by a short leg, weight - from 80 to 150 grams. The average size of the leaves is 15x14 centimeters, they are 3-5 lobed, with a deep dissection.

Juicy and tender berries have 1-3 seeds. The juice of grapes of this variety is colorless and rich. The sugar content of berries is about 20%. The variety is not very high-yielding, while the bushes are large and tall, take root well in a cool (for grapes) climate and grow.

Pino Gris can't stand frost. To ripen, the variety needs 130-150 days, the crop is harvested in the 1-2 decade of September. Not too resistant to oidium and mildew, prolonged rainy conditions can induce the development of gray rot.

Used to make high quality table and sparkling wine, used in the production of champagne.

Bush and shoots

The variety is distinguished by a significant growth of shoots and a developed root system.Annual shoots are painted in light brown color, shortened internodes and darker color of the nodes stand out. With strong growth, the bush needs pruning. The crown of young shoots is strongly pubescent. In the first three years after planting, the bush is especially demanding on the observance of agrotechnical growing conditions.

Yields

The variety has an average yield. There are about 52% of fruitful shoots on the bush. With industrial cultivation, it gives about 9 tons per hectare. For a good harvest, you need: suitable soil, lack of drafts and timely treatment from pests and diseases. The low yield is more than offset by the excellent taste of the resulting wine.

Which areas are recommended to plant

Pinot Grigio variety feels great in the regions of the North Caucasus, in the Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory. In other places it is often affected by spring frosts and requires high-quality shelter for the winter.

Planting and care

Variety takes root well in case of appropriate weather conditions.

Selection of seedlings

Seedlings are best purchased immediately before planting. They should have he althy, strong, developed roots that, when broken, resemble raw potatoes. Choose specimens with a smooth, he althy, undamaged trunk. Under the bark, the seedling should be a rich green color. When buying, you should put pressure on the eyes, if they fall off, the purchase should be discarded.

It is better to purchase seedlings in special nurseries or from trusted suppliers. Often enthusiastic growers exchange seedlings with each other. Numerous forums on the Internet have advice on the features of agricultural technology.

Soil and plant size requirements

Grapes prefer fertile soils. This directly affects the quantity and quality of the crop. It does not tolerate acidic and saline soils. Grows well in sunny, elevated or well-drained sites with neutral to alkaline soil. The distance between the bushes in a row and between the rows for Pinot Grigio is about a meter. Planting hole - 80x80 centimeters.

Before planting, the roots are soaked in water for a day, cut if necessary and treated with clay mash. If the soil is not too fertile, humus is added to the bottom of the hole. The soil in the hole is poured in a slide, a seedling is carefully placed in the center and the roots are evenly spread.

Important: in the first 3 years, this grape variety requires especially careful care. After planting, the soil is compacted and the plant is watered.

Soil loosening

The variety is very sensitive to weeds, plantings must be systematically loosened, providing good access to oxygen to the roots.

Irrigation

During the period of active growth, the grapes should be watered, bringing at least 10 liters of water under each bush. Watered usually 1 time per month, but adjusted for weather conditions. The organization of drip irrigation is the best option for the Pinot Grigio variety. In August and September, the plants are not watered. The last watering is done after harvest, in early October.

Feeding

Feed the plant three times a season. In the spring, during the swelling of the kidneys, nitrogen fertilizers are needed, you can use a 5% solution of bird droppings. The second dressing is done before flowering: use Kemira, Plantofol or another ready-made complex for grapes, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The third dressing for this variety is applied in September, after harvest. Fertilize with organic matter.

Cutting and clothespin

Pinot Grigio needs regular pruning.Cut the bush in the spring, after removing the covering material. Remove dry branches, cut off excess shoots with scissors. The vine is tied to pre-prepared wooden pegs. The clothespin is carried out in the spring, breaking off strong branches, just above the 10th knot.

Seasonal disease prevention

Because the variety is susceptible to oidium and mildew disease, plants should be sprayed regularly. This is done with a Bordeaux mixture or fungicides (Horus, Topaz, Strobi). After the formation of the ovary, during the period of filling the berries, spraying is not carried out.

Autumn processing is done before sheltering the grapes for the winter to prevent the preservation of spores and the development of diseases in the next season.

Cluster care

They are protected from birds - they stretch a metal mesh. To protect against wasps, poisoned bait is hung in the vineyard, and wasp nests are found and burned. When clusters are affected by diseases, they are destroyed in a timely manner to prevent the spread of the disease.

Preparing creepers for winter

Pinot Grigio needs shelter. It is good if a special trench is dug along the rows of grapes to shelter the vine. Then it is simply laid for the winter and covered with earth, film, spruce branches or other covering material. Before shelter, wilted leaves and dry branches are removed, the vine is treated for diseases and pests.

Fruit maturity

Full development period takes 130-150 days. Ripe bunches are harvested in mid-September. They are carefully cut with scissors and placed in spacious containers.

How to store

Technical (wine) grape varieties are immediately processed. In France, the sale of young wines officially begins at midnight on November 15, during which time it must ferment, this requires at least a month.

Where grapes are used

Pinot Grigio grapes are used to make table white and rosé wines, sparkling wine and wine material for champagne.

Problems in growing and how to solve them

The main problem is the defeat of grapes by diseases and pests.

Fungal

These include:

• oidium;
• mildew;
• grey and white rot;
• black spotting.

In order to prevent the grapes from getting sick, you should follow the vine seating pattern, cut the vine and remove the foliage and branches under the bushes. For prophylactic purposes, plants are treated with Bordeaux liquid, iron or copper sulfate, and preparations with sulfur. Fungicides of complex action (Topaz, Horus) help well.

Bacterial

Such diseases occur when damaged by pests, after harsh winters, chronic diseases of the seedling. For prevention you need:

• do not overload the vine;
• protect the vineyard from birds and wasps;
• carefully cover the plant so as not to damage the bush;
• treat the plant from the fungus;
• avoid overwatering;
• fertilize grapes properly.

When a bush becomes infected with bacteria, you usually have to uproot it.

Pests

The vineyard can be damaged by: phylloxera, mites or leafworms. If pests are found, they are treated with insecticides (for example, Kenmiks), in strict accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.Of course, growing grapes is hard, painstaking work. However, the grower, seeing how beautiful and fragrant his own wine is splashing in a glass, forgets about the problems and happily prepares for the new season.

Recommended