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It cannot be said that in recent years, gardeners of the middle lane and more northern regions have been deprived of attention from breeders in viticulture. Varieties that can really be recommended for cultivation in areas where grapes were previously considered an exotic curiosity appear in almost the same amount as mushrooms after rain.
Despite this, each new variety of unpretentious early ripening grapes immediately arouses great interest among summer residents and gardeners. All the more so if the variety turns out to be in fact a hybrid form, well-known earlier to many experienced winegrowers. Charlie grapes, a detailed description of the variety of which, along with many photos and reviews, will be given in this article, is a typical example of an old well-known to many, acting as a new variety called Anthracite.
History of creation
Initially, as a hybrid form, the Charlie grape was obtained by crossing the variety Victoria and Nadezhda AZOS. Victoria is a fairly old and very famous grape variety, bred in the middle of the 20th century and possessing high agrotechnical indicators. Nadezhda AZOS, also bred about 40 years ago, is known for its unique combination of high taste and resistance to diseases and low temperatures.
The well-known winegrower E.G. Pavlovsky, crossing these two outstanding grape varieties, received a new hybrid form, called Charlie, which showed and shows excellent results in a whole range of indicators. And despite the many conflicting reviews that this grape has received, many remain faithful to it, thanks to some of its unsurpassed qualities. And precisely because of its popularity among the people, Charlie grapes, after more than a ten-year probationary period, were finally officially included in the State Register of Russia under the name Anthracite. This happened quite recently, only in 2015. The patentee was the Kuban State Agrarian University named after V.I. Trubilin.
As with many grape varieties that have a double name, its old name, Charlie, is still more popular among the people. Moreover, this also has a material justification - for the sale of cuttings and seedlings of Charlie grapes there is no need to pay the patent holder, in contrast to the sale of seedlings of Anthracite grapes.
Description of the variety
Charlie grape bushes are characterized by medium vigor, but a distinctive feature of this variety is 100% and early ripening of shoots along the entire length.
This unique property makes it possible to recommend this variety for cultivation in regions with short summers, since only a fully ripe vine is able to withstand winter frosts well.
The video below clearly demonstrates all the main characteristics of the Charlie grape variety and its berries.
The fruitfulness of the shoots is high - it reaches 90-95%. Charlie bushes are capable of carrying a fairly high load, a record number of ovaries can form on one shoot - up to 7 pieces. But for normal and timely ripening, it is recommended to standardize the inflorescences without fail, leaving no more than one or two brushes on the shoot.
It doesn't make much sense to be greedy, since the bushes are able to stretch out two or three bunches, but the ripening period will be so extended in time that you can never wait for full ripeness.However, the number of bunches left on the shoot strongly depends on the size of the brushes themselves. If the year turned out to be unfavorable, and the clusters are small, then you can leave up to three brushes on one trunk.
Young leaves and shoots are colored juicy green. Leaves are moderately dissected, have weak pubescence. The flowers of Charlie grapes are bisexual, so the bushes can be safely planted among the first on the site - they will bear fruit even alone, since they do not need pollinators.
Cuttings of this variety are distinguished by good rooting, so it makes sense to propagate Charlie by cuttings.
Charlie grapes also attract early ripening - the growing season is about 105-115 days. True, the coloring of the berries does not at all mean their full ripeness. This variety is gaining sugar for quite a long time, but if you show patience, you can wait for the sugar content in the range from 18 to 22%.
The berries stick well to the bush and do not crumble. In addition, one of the advantages of Charlie grapes is the absence of peas. This means that all berries in a bunch are of approximately the same size, and there is no need to remove small and inconspicuous berries from the brush to acquire a marketable appearance.
The high yield is one of the great advantages of this variety. It is also important that already in the second year after planting, one bush is able to form and bring to full maturity 3-4 full-fledged clusters weighing up to a kilogram or more. And the yield of up to 15-20 kg of grapes from an adult bush is not a record at all.
As for frost resistance, the Charlie variety is able to withstand up to -24 ° -25 ° C. This is a good level of winter hardiness, although in most regions of Russia the bushes still need additional shelter, since such temperatures are not at all minimal in winter. In addition to winter hardiness, for most winegrowers, especially in the middle lane, another thing is important - how much the grape bushes are able to recover from recurrent spring frosts, if the buds have already blossomed.
Charlie grapes are also popular due to their resistance to numerous fungal diseases, which greatly annoy winegrowers. True, completely resistant grape varieties do not exist, but at least when growing it, you can try to do with preventive measures and not use potent chemicals. Charlie enjoys a special love of gardeners for the fact that his berries do not rot and ripen well even in the wettest summer, when other grape varieties can leave you without a harvest at all.
Charlie grapes are very attractive to both wasps and a variety of small birds. Although in some reviews there is information that wasps are indifferent to Charlie's bushes. But nevertheless, it is better to stock up in advance with a special net to protect ripening bunches from flying barbarians.
Characteristics of berries and brushes
Charlie grapes are primarily famous for the size of their clusters and their attractive presentation.
- The shape of the hand is usually conical, although it can be any irregular.
- The bunches are not very dense, we can say that the friability is average or below average.
- The average weight of one brush is 700-900 grams, but brushes weighing 1.5-2 kg are not the limit. In length, one bunch easily reaches 35-40 cm.
- The berries themselves have a rich dark blue skin color, although the juice from them is colorless.
- The berries are medium in size, weighing about 5-9 grams, and are ovoid.
- The pulp is fleshy, dense and juicy, the skin is dense, but practically not felt when eating.
- Each berry contains 2-3 medium-sized seeds.
- Charlie berries are stored very well and tolerate even long-term transportation.
- Professional tasters rated the taste of fresh Charlie grapes at 8.4 points on a ten-point scale.
- The acidity of the berries reaches 7-4 g / l.
- Charlie's grape is eatery for its intended purpose. However, due to its good sugar intake, many people use it for making wines, as well as making juices and canning.
In the taste sensations of Charlie grapes, many people feel a kind of off-flavor that is associated with the taste of nightshade. Many people do not like him, while others are quite approving of him.
Nevertheless, judging by the reviews of winegrowers, this flavor is inherent only in unripe grapes. If the bunches are allowed to hang on the bush in the already colored form for several weeks and a sufficient amount of sugar is collected, the taste disappears. Other gardeners claim that the notorious nightshade flavor is present only in the first 3-4 years of a grape bush's life, and then it goes away forever.
Gardeners reviews
The opinions of winegrowers and ordinary summer residents about the Charlie grape variety are very contradictory, although all agree on one thing that this is a real hard worker who will not leave you without a harvest under any circumstances.
Conclusion
Charlie's grape is, in fact, a kind of dark horse, its extraordinary properties do not appear immediately, but with some delay.But if you have the patience to wait until the berries are fully ripe, then you will be able to fully enjoy all the incomparable characteristics of this variety.
