Carbonado

Carbonado grape is a hybrid variety obtained by crossing Talisman and Black Winter Kishmish varieties. This variety is characterized by early to mid-season ripening, occurring from September 10 to 25 in the Kyiv region. The vines are vigorous with strong upright shoots and high fruiting capacity — 2-3 clusters form on each shoot. The flower is bisexual, ensuring good pollination and practically no berry drop in clusters.

The berries of Carbonado are large, oval or round, black or dark-blue in color with a dense powdery bloom. The weight of one berry ranges from 8 to 12 grams, the flesh is firm and crisp, the juice is colorless. The taste is harmonious with a good balance of sugar and acid, and upon full ripening, a slight blackcurrant flavor appears. The sugar content of the juice reaches 19–21 %, acidity is slightly elevated — about 5.7 g/l. The clusters are loose, weighing from 500 to 1200 grams, sometimes reaching 1.5–2 kg. Berry coloring within the clusters is even, although under overloading, the lower part of the cluster may color less intensely.

The variety is characterized by high frost resistance — it withstands temperatures down to –28 °C, with bud survival after such frosts reaching 80 %. Resistance to major diseases is high, susceptibility to mildew and oidium is rated 2.0–3.0, which allows nearly complete avoidance of diseases by the end of the season with three preventive treatments using systemic agents. The grape roots easily and exhibits high drought tolerance, recommended for cultivation on its own roots or on low- and medium-vigor rootstocks. The yield of this variety is very high — on trellis training it reaches up to 16.8 t/ha, and on arched structures it can reach 25–30 t/ha. For optimal ripening and to reduce vertical shoot polarity, arched training is recommended, along with yield regulation, leaving one cluster per shoot.