Grapevine Vratsa Muscat - White Wine Grape, Mid-Season Ripening

Vratsa Muscat vine is a white wine grape variety of local origin and grown mainly in North-West Bulgaria.   Botanical description: Leaf - mostly large, five-lobed, wider than long, thick, slightly cut, reticulate-wrinkled, and glabrous and slightly bristly beneath. The upper lateral sinuses are shallow to medium deep, open, lyre-shaped, with almost parallel sides. The lower lateral sinuses are shallow, in the shape of an acute angle. The petiolar sinus is open, arched.   Bunch - medium-sized (11.6/8.4 cm), conical, with a wing, moderately compact, weighing 118 - 156 g.   Berry - medium-large (13.2/15.3 mm), oval, with a large flat stylar remnant, weighing from 2.3 to 2.5 g. Skin - thick, tough, greenish-yellow, with a tan, with an abundant waxy bloom, with tiny sparse dots.   Agrobiological characteristics: Vratsa Muscat is a mid-ripening white wine variety. Its grapes ripen in the second half of September. The vines have moderate growth, medium fertility and yield. It is not prone to poor fruit set and shot berries (millerandage). It is sensitive to downy mildew and powdery mildew. The grapes are practically resistant to grey mould. The vines are highly sensitive to drought and low winter temperatures. Because of the low cold hardiness, it is recommended to grow them low to the ground with the Guyot training system. The Vratsa Muscat variety develops and fruits well when grafted on the rootstocks Chasselas x Berlandieri 41B, Berlandieri x Riparia Kober 5BB and Berlandieri x Riparia SO4.   Technological characteristics: The grapes of the Vratsa Muscat variety accumulate sufficient sugars – 21-24 % with a relatively low titratable acidity – 4.6-5.8 g/dm3. It is suitable for producing white wines, and only in certain years for high-quality dessert wines.