The grape culture is moving steadily to the north, and now the vine grows where it could not grow because of the overly harsh climate, endowed with the fresh berries of a caring gardener.
But even where grapes do not grow, sweet clusters are imported.
Over the past decades, breeders began to produce more table varieties that retain their freshness for a long time, and Chocolate belongs to them - a high-yielding and quite disease-resistant medium late variety with an exotic taste of beautiful amethyst fruits.
A large number of other long-term varieties belong to the earliest, and this ripens in September, thereby extending the berry season for several months.
Early ripening are also Julian, Gordey and Anyuta.
Grape Chocolate: description
The berries are not as sweet as, for example, Muromets, but they have an unusual chocolate taste for grapes, the percentage of carbohydrates in them is 16-17%, acids are 6-7%, and the tasting score reaches 9.5 points.
The unusual taste can also boast of Ruta, Catalonia and Dubovsky pink.
The form can be from oval to oblong-cylindrical. The color of berries ranges from pale pink to deep burgundy, its thickness depends on the place of growth.
The peel is very strong, despite the fact that it is thin and practically imperceptible when eating.
Clusters are large with an approximate weight of 700-1200 grams, can be stored for a long time and do not deteriorate. The pulp is dense, fleshy. There are practically no pits - from 1-4 pieces per grape, the weight of a berry itself is about 8 grams.
With proper care reaches 2 kilograms. The leaves are bright, green, smooth, rounded, strongly dissected. Flowers bisexual. The ripening period will take 135-150 days.
Cardinal, Aladdin and Lily of the Valley also possess bisexual flowers.
A photo
Photos of grapes Shokladny:
Breeding history
Chocolate Grapes "was born" in 1981, and officially received the title of variety five years later. He was led by a team of Ukrainian breeders under the leadership of Pavel Golodrig (therefore, there are synonyms for the name Chocolate - the names “Pavel Golodrig-12” and “In Memory of the Holodrig”).
The Golodrig team also owns such varieties as Gurzuf pink, Angelica and Amethyst.
Chocolate was obtained by crossing the Antey Magarachskiy variety and the Katta Kurgan Kirovabad table hybrid. At this time, this grape is widely distributed in the coastal regions of Ukraine, Crimea, southern Russia.
Trimming and care
Since Chocolate - hybrid variety, it is not very whimsical. High frost resistance for grapes (from -23 to -26) will allow not to cover it so tightly.
The hybrids also include the well-known King Deer, Valery Voevoda and Rumba.
For planting choose a place with the maximum sun on the plant, the soil should be well fertilized with minerals, if you want to ensure the highest possible yield.
Bushes will be vigorous. 60 eyes - optimally suitable load on the bush. Pruning of the vine is carried out on 7 - 8 eyes and watched during the season. It is worth noting that the fruitfulness of shoots reaches 80%.
Senator, Alex and Svetlana are also frost resistant.
Disease and treatment
Good to know: One of the most important qualities of Chocolate is its resistance to phylloxera. This is a very dangerous and long-known insect - aphid, which, despite its meager dimensions, can destroy huge plantations of grapes.
But, unfortunately, breeders failed to avoid fungal diseases in this class. Although according to some sources, gray rot attacks much less frequently than mildew and oidium.
Especially fast on the plant progresses with mildew (downy mildew). This is a dangerous and known to all lovers of grapes fungal disease.
Signs: Yellow transparent spots appear on the leaves, then they are covered with white bloom like a fluff. At high humidity, the fungus quickly moves to the stems of flowers or berries.
Infected fruits are no longer suitable for food or for the wine industry. To avoid this scourge, plants should be sprayed with fungicides before and after flowering, Copper-containing preparations, such as copper sulfate solution, are especially good and acceptable at the price.
A good harvest requires timely processing and proper care.
Prevention against such common grape diseases as anthracnose, chlorosis, bacterial cancer, rubella and bacteriosis will not hurt.
Unusual and very pleasant, rich in hues of berries, frost resistance that is quite good for grapes, invulnerability to a dangerous pest - aphid phylloxera, keeping quality, strong root system, which allows growing the vine on its own roots, without grafting it onto unpretentious varieties, allow us to evaluate the variety
Chocolate is a cut above many other popular varieties.
