The Muscat Hamburg grape is one of the best Muscat varieties

Muscat are considered to be one of the oldest cultivated grape varieties and one of the most widespread today. Due to their excellent taste characteristics, they enjoy well-deserved respect among connoisseurs of these berries. And against this rich background, the Muscat Hamburg grape variety stands out favorably. It is the detailed description of this variety that our article will be devoted to.

Description of the variety

The Muscat of Hamburg grape (also known as Alexandrian Black Muscat, Hamburg Misket and under several other names) was sectioned, despite its name, in the UK as a greenhouse variety.

Since then, it has been widely adopted around the world. In particular, in our latitudes, it is grown in Moldova, southern Ukraine, Crimea (on the Crimean land, it has been growing since the second half of the 19th century), Krasnodar Territory.

Let's take a closer look at this variety of nutmeg.

Common parameters

The Hamburg Muscat variety has the following characteristic features:

• half-creeping shoots, covered with dense foliage;
• leaves are large, wavy structure, on the edges of the foliage there are sharp teeth;
• leaves turn yellow in autumn;
• berries are quite large, deep blue.

The indisputable advantages of this nutmeg include: excellent taste characteristics of the fruit, a high level of preservation (at least 2-3 months), good transportability, and in addition to this, it is very well suited for canning (in many respects, one of the best).

Traditionally, Hamburg Muscat is considered a table variety, but many experienced winegrowers say that it is better to classify it as a universal variety.

Bushes

Muscat of Hamburg is characterized by bushes of medium height. If the grapes are planted in places with deep fertile soils, then the growth will be above average.

Annual shoots are characterized by a satisfactory degree of maturation. However, their growth is impaired if excessive moisture and lack of heat are present. The crown of young vines is whitish-pink in color, covered with a thick felt edge. Ripe vines are brown with reddish nodes. The number of fruiting shoots on a bush is about 60-67% of the total growth.

Leaves are usually large to medium in size, noticeably wavy, heart-shaped with five lobes, which are bordered by not very large pointed triangular teeth. From below they are covered with a dense downy, to the touch resembling felt, from above the pubescence is not so dense and has a cobweb structure. They are green, sometimes interspersed with bronze spots and with a slightly red color of the teeth.

The upper notch is closed, of medium depth, with an oval opening. Sometimes they are open and curved, with almost parallel edges. The bottom neckline is narrow, angled or open.

The petiole notch is closed, with an oval lumen or with a curved lumen, and open. The flower is bisexual.

Bunches and berries

The bunches of this grape are usually average, but large ones are also found. Length reaches, on average, up to 20 cm, width - up to 17 cm. Weight - up to 267 g. The grape cluster itself is conical in shape, with branches, loose. The stem of the bunch is green, small (approx. 5 cm).

The berries are different in size, mostly oval in shape. The color is deep dark blue, with a significant wax coating.The sizes, as a rule, are average - 14-23x10-16 mm, weight - up to 4 g each with 2-3 large bones. The skin is relatively tough. The pulp is juicy and fleshy. The taste is pleasant, with a characteristic aftertaste and aroma of musk.

Yield

As for the yield, Muscat Hamburg has a "weak point" here. It is ranked as a species with a potentially high yield (70-120 centners per hectare), however, its fertility is unstable, the increase in fruiting fluctuates.

The grapes are classified as medium late ripening varieties. Fruit ripening occurs in the month of September. From the time of the opening of the kidneys to the moment of full maturation, about 140 - 150 days pass.

Usually one bunch ripens on one shoot, the average weight of the brush is 210 g.

Features of agricultural technology

These grapes should be planted in warm enough places. The distance between the bushes should be at least 1.5 m, and a space of at least 2.30 m should be left between the rows.

It is noted that Hamburg Muscat grows well and gives good yields if planted in light sandy loam, sandy or loamy soils on the southern and southwestern slopes.

Optimally high volumes of yield while maintaining high quality of fruits gives the formation of a bush like a two-armed Guyot or in a pinless fan-shaped form. At the same time, up to 20 green shoots are left on the bush, of which 11-14 are fruiting.

Grapes are susceptible to powdery mildew, phylloxera, gray rot, mildew, bacterial cancer. At the same time, it is less susceptible to grape leafworm.

This variety is quite thermophilic, its frost resistance is low. If the temperature drops below -19 ° C, then more than half of the eyes of the entire plant are damaged. Therefore, it is recommended to completely cover the plant for the winter.

In seasons characterized by unfavorable weather conditions, shedding of flowers is possible, as well as the formation of a large number of seedless berries.

Video "Characteristics of grape varieties"

In this video you can get acquainted with the characteristics of a number of varieties, including ours.

Hamburg muscat is a noble grape variety, one of the best of its kind, which will adorn any garden.