Riesling grapes

A simple, "peasant" grape variety has been known for a long time. It is used to make the exquisite gourmet wine of the same name - Riesling.

The European Riesling grape variety was first heard in 1435 in Germany. Presumably, the authors bred it by crossing the female flowers of wild grapes with the pollen of its male parent, a hybrid form of Heinisch Weiss. Do not confuse the German variety with Italian Riesling, which does not have such a long history and valuable taste. The Rhine Riesling, which appeared when crossing varieties, has many synonyms for the name, these are:

• Gewurztraube;

• Sticky;

• Rainrising;

• Kleiner;

• Petit Riesling;

• White Riesling;

• Grashevina;

• Moselriesling;

• Netherlands;

• Oberkircher;

• Rislinok.

Germany accounts for two thirds of the Rhine Riesling area. The earliest mention of its breeding belongs to farmers on the Moselle river in the Rheingau. Here it grows on 65% of the area of ​​all Rhine vineyards. The main cultivation regions of Riesling are:

• Palatinate;

• Rheingessen;

• Nae;

• Moselle-Saar-Ruver ;;

• Württemberg;

• Baden.

There is no vineyard in all of Germany that does not grow Riesling. However, this variety is successfully grown in other countries of the world.

Shoots of young grapes are covered with thin fibers of light green color with a bronze tint. After a year, the branch becomes light brown with dark nodes. The vine ripens well and belongs to the vigorous type of grapes.

The foliage of the plant is medium in size, round, with deep and medium dissections of 3 or 5 lobes. The leaf is folded-funnel-shaped, "wrinkles" are large. The upper, medium-deep cutouts are closed with an oval gap.

From the moment when the buds blossomed on the vine and until the ripe fruits are removed, an average of 148-160 days pass. In this case, the sum of active temperatures should be 2896 ° C. In the usual regions, the berries begin to ripen at the end of September.

The shape of the brush is cylindrical, it can be conical-cylindrical. The density of the bunch is dense or loose, its stem reaches 3 cm in size. One ripe bunch weighs about 80-100 grams. The size of the bunches is average: length 7-14 cm, width 6-8 cm.

The berries on the cluster have a rounded, medium-sized shape, their diameter is about 11-15 mm. The greenish-white color of the berries has a yellowish tint, sometimes the fruits are covered with small dark brown dots. The skin of the berries is strong, although thin.

The pulp of the grapes is juicy with a pleasant, balanced taste. Each pea contains seeds, 2-4 pcs.

Riesling belongs to the category of low-yielding grape varieties. Fruitful shoots on the vine are about 87%, the average number of bunches on a newly developed shoot is 1.6, on a fruitful one about 2, if the culture is stemless, then it is 1.2 and 1.6, respectively.

Soils rich in lime are most suitable for growing Riesling.

Dessert wines are made from fruits that hang on the vine for several days after ripening. For other types of wines, the bunches are plucked immediately after reaching the state of ripeness.

Cuttings of young Riesling grapes should be planted in autumn or winter. In this case, the following requirements must be observed:

• the stalk for planting must be at least 20 cm high;

• the root system of the shoot should contain at least 3-4 wet roots;

• the plant must have at least 5-6 buds;

• the air temperature during landing should not be outside the -10 ° С mark, but also not higher than + 15 ° С;

• the plant is planted in a line;

• the trench is made about 70 cm deep;

• the diameter of the planting pit is made about 60 cm;

• make the row spacing at least 3 meters;

• leave the distance between the bushes of grapes about 1.2 meters;

• fertilizer must be applied to the planting pit.

Before digging in the plant, renew its root system and dip the root into a growth promoter.

The flowers of this grape are bisexual. To increase the yield by 20-25%, varieties belonging to the bisexual type of flowers can and should be additionally pollinated. To perform the procedure, boards with rabbit or bunny fur are used. The components of the pollinator variety are applied to them, and the flowers are treated with it.

In order to thin out and accelerate branching, Riesling bushes are recommended to be cut. If this is not done, then, most likely, the yield of the bushes will decrease, and the berries will be not only small, but also sour. The manipulation is performed once every 3-5 years. Trim the bushes until they form the desired bush shape. The first pruning should be done in the spring, one year after planting the cutting. At the same time, damaged and weak branches are removed from the bush. To create the desired shape, 2 to 4 buds can be removed from healthy branches. After 5-6 years, pruning is carried out for sanitary purposes, while removing frozen and dry branches. The tops are trimmed to the first live point. To protect the plant from fungus, the place where a large branch is cut should be treated with a pitch.

Watering and feeding

During the period when the shoots of Riesling grapes are abundantly developing and growing, it should be watered once a week. In dry weather, two weeks before flowering, the plant also needs to be watered abundantly. Water is poured at the root. Watering is unnecessary in high humidity. The next period required for watering is the time for the formation of berries.

In dry conditions, the bushes should be watered before the onset of frost. At the same time, try not to get on the leaves of the plant, since moisture retention on them can lead to the appearance of infections and fungus.

To feed the plant, once, before planting it in the ground, it is necessary to add humus, peat, ash or compost. Then, when watering, the soil around the root system will be enriched with useful substances. A repeated dose of top dressing can be applied at the root in 3-4 years.

It is not at all necessary to shelter Riesling grapes from frost, but then you need to form a stem, the height of which will be within 1.2 m.A year after planting, it will take shape in young grapes on its own. In this way, a vertical stem without bends will be formed from the branches and buds of the bush. If bends appear, tie them to the support so that they grow in a vertical direction.

If you have a covering grape variety, or a cold region where frosts are up to -22, then the fan method should be used, with the formation of 3-4 sleeves. In order to evenly distribute the load, 2-3 fruit links must be placed on the trellis. It is not recommended to grow more than 30 shoots on one bush. The shelter is made of tarpaulin, spruce branches or agrofibre.

Riesling belongs to varieties that are practically unstable to diseases. During prolonged rains or wet weather, it can be affected by gray mold. Powdery and bacterial cancer are no exception. The variety has good resistance to mildew. In this regard, it is necessary to take measures to protect the plant. For this, the grapes are treated in several stages with the necessary contact chemicals.

Riesling is a wine grape and is not intended for long-term storage. The bunches are cut with garden shears and immediately sent for processing for wine.