Chardonnay grape variety: description and characteristics, cultivation with photo

Chardonnay grapes are grown in different climatic conditions. The taste of berries, the saturation of the aroma, the predominance of sour or sweet notes depend on this. Chardonnay is a wine variety, respectively, the bouquet of sparkling wines and the traditional varietal wine of the same name depends on the taste of berries grown in cold or hot climates. In each region, the taste of the drink is individual and unique. More expressive taste in grapes grown in temperate climates.

Description

Low-yielding variety of early maturation, producing bunches weighing up to 200 g. The shape and weight of the bunch depend on the climatic conditions of the region where the vineyard is planted, the quality of the soil and the correct care.No more than 130 days pass from the beginning of flowering to harvest, technical maturity comes earlier.

Description of the berries of the Chardonnay grape variety:

small rounded 1.6 cm in diameter weighing up to 4 g;
greenish yellow to pale golden color;
dense skin;
2-3 bones;
juice is 75%;
26% sugar of total juice.

Citrus flavor and aroma are the hallmark of Chardonnay.

Vine medium-sized, strong, fast growing. Chardonnay leaves are medium in size with bristles on the veins of the outer side and the edge of the lower. They can be divided along the edges into 3 or 5 parts. Features folded-down corners.

History

Chardonnay has a second name - White Burgundy. The mother vine of the strain is used for the cultivation of grape crops adapted to the individual characteristics of the climate of the region.

In the production of wine, 2 varieties of Chardonnay grapes are used: Rosé and Blanc Musquet.

For industrial winemaking in many countries of the world, including Russia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Chardonnay Rosé is grown, featuring amber, translucent berries. Chardonnay Blanc Musquet is added to wines for a rich blend.

Breeding work to improve the quality of Blanc Musket is underway in the USA, Austria, Brazil due to the susceptibility of the mother vine to Pierce's disease.

Note! With Pierce's disease, the affected vine has a delay in the vegetative stage, in the middle of the ripening season, the leaves begin to dry from the edges, quickly affecting the entire leaf.

According to scientists at the University of California, voiced in 1991, Goue Blanc and Pinot Noir were crossed to produce Chardonnay. Not all scientists agree with this version. There is an opinion that Chardonnay was originally created by nature itself.

Properties

Each grape variety has its own characteristics. Red, black and green grapes have their own characteristics - they differ in fruit sugar content, acidity, balance of vitamins and minerals. Calories

There are 60.33 calories in 100 g of Chardonnay berries.

Nutritional value:

proteins - 0.54 g;
fats - 0.08 g;
carbs - 14.93g

Chardonnay grapes are high in calories compared to apples, but this is not an obstacle to recommending this product as an ingredient in therapeutic diets.

Benefits and harms

Leaves, seeds, grapes contain about 200 elements useful for humans:

Vitamins.
Minerals.
Phytosterols that prevent the formation of cancer cells and suppress their growth.
Antioxidants, flavonoids.
Disaccharides and monosaccharides
Fiber.
Acids.

Moderate systematic use of grapes helps to strengthen the immune system, heart, blood thinning, facilitates the work of the kidneys, prevents constipation. Grape juice dilates blood vessels. People suffering from migraines, with regular use of fresh grape juice, quickly get rid of their ailment. For asthmatics and hypertensive patients, grapes should become one of the regular products of the daily diet.

Harmful grapes can be for people with:

diabetes;
obese;
colitis;
chronic pyelonephritis;
metabolic nephropathy (uraturia);
ulcers of the mouth, stomach, intestines;
acute forms of tuberculosis;
allergic to grapes.

Advice! Before introducing grapes into your regular diet, you should consult with your doctor.

Acidity

Total acidity of berries of technical maturity is 8.2-11.6 g/l of juice. In overripe berries, the acidity decreases, which makes them unsuitable for winemaking.

The combination of several acids from the original product and those formed during fermentation (natural fermentation) affects the taste of wine. Grapes contain:

С4Н6О6 - tartaric acid. Contained only in grapes, its mass fraction in relation to other acids is 95%.
A kilogram of unripe berries can contain up to 15 g of malic acid. Using unripe berries will give the wine a green apple flavor.
Acetic, citric, succinic and oxalic are present in grapes in small quantities.
Vanillic, hydroxycinnamic, lilac, gallic acids are formed during fermentation.

Regulation of acid content in the process of making wine directly affects the taste of the drink, its blend and aroma.

Characteristic of the bush

According to the signs, the Chardonnay grape bush is closer to the plants of Western European countries - France, Italy. Tall, semi-spreading, self-pollinating. An early flowering period, in connection with which in cold areas a crop loss may occur completely or partially, if measures are taken in time - cut off part of the shoots with the most swollen buds.This will delay flowering by about 2 weeks.

Vine

Young vine stands out with a greenish tint. Shoots older than two years old have brown bark. The nodes are poorly expressed. Frosts down to -20 ° C are detrimental for Chardonnay bushes, the bush must be wrapped up in a quality manner for the winter period.

The vine withstands drought more steadfastly than spring frosts, hard frosts and heavy rains in early summer.

Bunch

Average size 11-15 cm, weight 100 to 200 g. Berries arranged with an average degree of fit form a conical-cylindrical shape. The flowers of the bush are male and female. During the formation of berries, some of them crumble, resulting in a loose bunch.

Yields

Of all the shoots of the bush, only 40% bear fruit. On each of them 2-3 bunches are formed. To get a decent harvest, you will have to plant a lot of bushes.

Features of cultivation

The main feature of the variety is its love for rocky gentle slopes on the west side and clay-lime soils.

Planting period

Seedlings are planted in spring and autumn. During spring planting in a warm climate, holes are dug under them at a distance of 2.5 meters from each other. In autumn, in anticipation of a cold snap, the distance between planting holes is equivalent to planting Chardonnay in temperate regions - 1.5 m.

Ripening dates

Despite early flowering, Chardonnay is a mid-season variety. Vegetation lasts 130-140 days. Harvest of technical ripeness in temperate latitudes is harvested from 15 to 31 September.

Care

Special care, except for frost protection, Chardonnay grapes do not require. With increased soil moisture, the vine will begin to rot, which is the reason for the requirement for a special soil. With prolonged drought - more than 20 days, soil moisture is required. Disease prevention

For Chardonnay, which has an average disease resistance, the main enemies are oidium and mildew.

Mildew prevention - spraying the vines with Bordeaux liquid and fungicides at intervals of 10 days, starting in early spring. The period of intensive protection ends when the berries reach a size of 1 cm.

Oidium hides in the ground, during mild winters it survives and infects plants. Preventive treatment of vines and soil in the spring is carried out with fungicides with a high copper content. Several times during the growing season, colloidal sulfur treatment is carried out.

Cutting

In a warm climate, the bush is cut in spring to a size of 60 cm from the ground, leaving 4 buds on the shoot. In cool areas, the height of the bush varies from 70 to 120 cm. Green shoots remain free hanging.In the spring, these shoots are shortened so that no more than 12 nodular jumpers remain.

In the spring, part of the shoots is cut off in case of a threat of crop loss during late frosts. In summer, a strong thickening of the vine is possible, in which case it will be necessary to provide the berries with sufficient access to sunlight with the help of a pruner.