Sauvignon grapes: variety description and selection history, planting methods and care

Sauvignon grapes are characterized by a wide growing area: European countries, countries of the American and Australian continents, countries of South Africa and the Middle East. The main purpose of this variety is winemaking for table wines and enrichment of taste qualities in the production of wines from other grape varieties. It is also successfully grown in Russia.

History of Sauvignon breeding

The birthplace of the variety is France, its popularization is second only to Chardonnay grapes. The variety was obtained by natural crossing of Tramner and Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley. In a short time since the middle of the 19th century, it has spread to almost all continents of the world.

Advantages and diversity of species

This grade without blend is applied to production of elite expensive grades of dry and semi-sweet wines, champagne, grape juices; like any grape, it is delicious fresh. The exquisite taste of the variety varies depending on the ripeness of the berries, weather conditions during the ripening period, soil composition.

Sauvignon Blanc is used to enrich the taste of white varieties of other wines.

Blanc means white in French. Sauvignon Blanc berries are light straw in color, the wines from this variety are light with a golden sheen, it has related varieties obtained by natural changes: Sauvignon Gris (or Rose), Sauvignon Noir, Sauvignon Violet, which have similar properties and taste.

Technical characteristics of the variety

Sauvignon Blanc refers to technical varieties used for winemaking on an industrial scale. Specifications include description of the vine, bunch of grapes, maturity dates, variety yield.

Vine

A grape bush is formed by vines - these are shoots on which grapes are formed. Young shoots are reddish-brown in color, with growth they become green. Over the years, the vines thicken and become tree-like. The leaves are medium-sized, leathery, dense, strongly dissected into 3 or 5 parts.

Bunch

Grapes are oblong, small in size, densely packed into compact clusters, which are cylindrical in shape up to 15 centimeters long and up to 10 centimeters in diameter. In grape berries, 2-3 seeds are formed, the berries have a dense skin. The mass of the bunch reaches 130 grams.

Maturity and yield

Sauvignon Blanc is a late ripening variety. Harvesting is carried out in September-October, depending on weather conditions. The yield of the variety is low, the plant needs proper care, suitable weather conditions during the summer and special soil. In grape nurseries, with proper care, up to 7,000 liters of wine are produced per hectare.

Climatic conditions for growing

Sauvignon Blanc prefers a cool climate and can withstand frosts down to -25 degrees. In Central Russia, grapes are covered for the winter; without shelter, the young shoots of the plant freeze out, it is necessary to re-form the bush.

Methods of propagation of the variety

Grapes are propagated by biennial or annual, well-developed seedlings. In their absence, chibouks (annual shoots) are planted, which are harvested from a one-year-old or basal vine 40-50 centimeters long.

Landing

Grapes are a heat-loving plant demanding light. A place for growing crops is chosen on the southern, southwestern and southeastern slopes. In amateur gardens, the most illuminated places are allocated for grapes. On flat areas, rows of grapes are planted from south to north, and on slopes - from east to west.

When planting grapes, taking into account these requirements, it will receive more light and heat, grow quickly and give a good harvest.

Tips for choosing seedlings

For planting grapes, seedlings with a well-developed root system are chosen, the roots should be well branched, with a white core at the break, up to 10 centimeters long. It is better to choose seedlings, rooted, with a clod of earth. The vine should have 5 to 10 buds. Rooted cuttings must meet the same requirements.

Timing

Saplings or rooted cuttings are planted in April or May, when the air and soil warm up to 15 ^{C. These dates are adjusted depending on the regions, the timing of the onset of the spring season of its transience.}

Layout and depth of landing hole

Sauvignon Blanc belongs to a medium-sized variety, the distance between rows when planting should be 2 meters, and between bushes - 1.75 meters. When planting, it is necessary to take into account the fertility of the soil, since this variety has powerful bushes. In the case of poor soil, the distance between the bushes is increased to 2 meters. For planting seedlings, square holes are dug 0.5-0.7 meters deep and 0.5 meters wide. At a distance of 25 centimeters, a peg 0.6 meters long is hammered on both sides.

Feeding seedlings

To feed a seedling, 100 grams of potash fertilizer, 400 grams of superphosphate, 150 grams of ash, a bucket of humus are added to the hole; on heavy soils - 2 buckets of river sand, everything is dug up with the ground. Seedlings are watered with Kornevin for better rooting.

Care for young and mature vines

To obtain a stable harvest, it is necessary to properly care for the grapes. Care includes: fertilizing, watering, weeding, bush formation, vine pruning, pest and disease prevention.

Fertilizer

Manure contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and trace elements. Every 3 years, it is applied at 6-8 kilograms per 1 square meter (in autumn before digging). Together with manure, phosphate and potash fertilizers are used at the rate of 50-60 grams per 1 square meter. Potassium humate is a universal fertilizer that stimulates the growth and development of plants; top dressing is carried out according to the instructions.Nitrogen fertilizers are used annually in the spring at 3-4 grams per 1 square meter.

Irrigation

This variety does not like excess moisture, watering is carried out as the earth dries up. At a depth of 20 centimeters, they take a handful of earth and clamp it in a fist, if the earth crumbles without forming a lump, then watering is required. Excess water leads to rotting of the root system or the development of gray rot.

In the first year (during a dry summer), the grape bush is watered up to 4 times, 4 buckets of water under the bush. After watering, the bush is mulched with humus 10 centimeters thick.

Formation

The formation of a bush starts from the first year of planting and is performed annually. Fan and multi-arm fan formations of grape bushes suggest from 4 to 8 fruit sleeves extending from the base of the bush. Each has a fruit link - this is a fruit vine and a replacement knot.

Annually, the vines that bear fruit are replaced with annual shoots. This work requires skills, you can clearly see the formation of a bush on the Internet.

Prevention from pests and diseases

Sauvignon Blanc is resistant to mildew and oidium spores. During rainy seasons, it can become infected with botrytis spores. When the berries are infected, a noble mold is formed, which gives the wine an exquisite taste, when the leaves are infected, work is carried out to collect and destroy them.

From pests, vine leaves are affected by mites, and berries are eaten by wasps. For preventive purposes, it is enough to treat grapes with combined fungicides in spring and after flowering. Special traps are set up from wasps.

Collecting, storing and processing crops

Sauvignon has poor keeping quality, the berries are perishable, after a week they begin to rot.If you wish, you can make juice at home and process grapes into wine in a short time. The taste qualities and properties of this variety of berries do not allow the use of wooden containers in the technology of making wine - glass bottles are used, the strength of the wine reaches 13 . Wine is stored in glass bottles for no more than 3 years.