Tempranillo grape variety: description and taste characteristics of wine, cultivation

The very Spanish name of the Tempranillo grape variety indicates early ripening, tempranillo can be translated from Spanish as "early". It is most widely distributed in the Iberian Peninsula. In Portugal, a red grape with characteristic fruity notes is known as Tinta Roriz, which sounds like Tinto Roros.

Variety description

Tempranillo blue berries are the raw material for fine wines and ports. At the time of ripening, the cylindrical, narrowed at the bottom of the clusters appear gray due to the matte coating covering the rounded berries.Their color under a whitish coating is dark purple. There is also a variety of this grape with yellow fruits.

Tempranillo originated in Spain and has been cultivated here since the 13th century. The good adaptability of the variety has allowed growers from the USA, Australia and Argentina to grow wine berries in their climatic conditions.

Characteristics of the variety

The variety is self-sufficient, flowers of both sexes appear on it, which is necessary for self-pollination. The vine is strong, hardy - up to 25 eyes on each of the twenty 7-meter shoots. The leaves are large with a deep dissection, the outlines are clear.

During the season, up to 5 kg of berries ripen on one bush. They fit tightly together, forming an almost symmetrical cone-shaped bunch.

Berry characteristics:

• weight - 8g ± 1g;
• length - 17mm ± 1mm;
• pulp juicy, transparent;
• the skin is thin, dense;
• bunch weight reaches 600g

The future taste of the wine depends on the choice of climatic conditions in which the Tempranillo crop ripens. The skin of the grapes is responsible for the saturation of the drink with color - thin skin gives only a shade, and the thick dense shell of the berry can really color the drink.

The acidity of berries directly depends on the weather of the area where the crop was ripening. The higher the temperature and the brighter the sun over the vineyard, the lower the acidity index. Choosing a lowland for planting vines, the grower predicts future harvests for low acidity.

The highest acid content is observed in vineyards located on rocky gentle slopes.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The disadvantage of the variety for Russian growers is that climatic conditions affect the taste. From raw materials grown in Russia, the wine is obtained with a weak bouquet.

High adaptive capacity to soils and climate gives hope that in central Russia this grape variety will be able to produce yields with high tasting characteristics.

The berries of this grape variety contain many substances useful for human he alth, but not everyone can eat them - the fruits are too sour, the astringent effect that tannin gives.

In rainy seasons, unlike other varieties, on Tempranillo bushes, flowers and berries hold tightly and do not fall off. But even under favorable conditions, the ripening of the crop is not higher than 85%, which largely depends on the tightness of the berries in the clusters.

Features of cultivation

The best taste qualities are noted in the grapes of this variety grown on a slope rising 700 meters above sea level. Here the grapes receive the maximum possible sunlight.Due to daily fluctuations in air temperature, a balance of sugars and acids is ensured.

The best place for Tempranillo is considered to be Ribera del Duero, where temperature jumps: during the day 40 °C, and at night the mercury column of the thermometer stops at around 16 °C. Tempranillo is currently the only grape that can grow and produce excellent yields in such difficult conditions.

The best conditions for growing a wine variety are fertile soil rich in lime, which is also not typical for many grape varieties. When caring for a bush, organic fertilizers and top dressings should be used with extreme caution, grapes of this variety are extremely sensitive to them. Planting seedlings in the Krasnodar Territory, Mordovia, Dagestan is carried out in the second half of May, when there can be no strong cold snap even at night. The bush reaches the return of the maximum yield on the 3-4th year after planting.

Care

The Tempranillo grape bush, which is capricious to the conditions, requires careful care, which is expressed in:

• installing props;
• necessity of crop shelter for the winter period;
• triple pest prevention per season;
• trimming;
• crown formation;
• soil drainage;
• ensure regular hydration;
• mulching rows.

When choosing a place for planting, the following features of the variety should be taken into account - Tempranillo is afraid of drought, winds, frost.

Vine formation

The crown is formed once per calendar year. Pruning in the spring involves the removal of 80% of last year's growth, up to the 6-8th eye. Only he althy, strong bushes are subject to pruning.

Feeding

One-component and combined preparations are suitable for feeding the vine:

• Aquarin;
• ammonium nitrate;
• potassium s alt;
• "Kemira";
• "Novofert";
• "Mortar";
• superphosphate;
• Florovit.

Due to the characteristics of the variety, combined fertilizers, where organic matter is present, are best avoided. You can determine the need for a particular mineral for a plant by analyzing the soil on which it grows.

Protection from diseases and pests

Fungicides are the main preventive tool that can defeat the impending threat to the elite grape variety at the initial stage of development.

Processing scheme:

1. During the period of swelling of the kidneys, a remedy for the fungus oidium and red grape mites is needed.
2. When 4-5 leaves appear, mildew and gray rot are prevented.
3. At the stage of opening the buds, re-treatment from oidium and all types of tree and fruit mites is necessary.
4. In the process of pouring berries, preventive treatment with a systematizing fungicide is carried out.
5. At the stage of compaction of bunches, treatment with an agent from all types of rot is required.

By adhering to this maintenance schedule, serious diseases caused by fungi and pests will be avoided.

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