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It cannot be said that in recent years, gardeners in the middle zone and more northern regions have been deprived of attention from breeders in viticulture. Varieties that can actually be recommended for cultivation in areas where grapes were previously considered an exotic curiosity are appearing in almost the same quantity as mushrooms after rain.
Despite this, each new variety of unpretentious early-ripening grapes immediately arouses great interest among summer residents and gardeners. Moreover, if the variety turns out to be a hybrid form previously well known to many experienced winegrowers. Charlie grapes, a detailed description of the variety, along with many photos and reviews, will be given in this article, is a typical example of an old variety that is well known to many, acting as a new variety called Anthracite.
History of creation
Initially, Charlie grapes were obtained as a hybrid form 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.
Famous wine breeder E.G.Pavlovsky, having crossed these two outstanding grape varieties, received a new hybrid form, called Charlie, which showed and continues to show 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 it was precisely thanks to its popularity among the people that Charlie grapes, after more than a ten-year trial period, were finally officially included in the State Register of Russia under the name Anthracite. This happened quite recently, only in 2015. The patent holder was the Kuban State Agrarian University named after. Trubilina.
As with many grape varieties that have a double name, its old name, Charlie, is still more popular among 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, unlike the sale of Anthracite grape seedlings.
Description of the variety
Charlie grape bushes are characterized by medium growth 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 mature vine can 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 – reaches 90-95%.Charlie bushes are capable of bearing 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 normalize the inflorescences, leaving no more than one or two clusters on the shoot.
There is no particular point in being greedy, since the bushes are capable of producing two or three bunches, but the ripening period will be so extended in time that full ripeness may not be expected. However, the number of clusters left on the shoot depends greatly on the size of the clusters themselves. If the year turns out to be unfavorable and the clusters are small in size, then you can leave up to three clusters on one trunk.
Young leaves and shoots are colored juicy green. The leaves are medium dissected and have slight pubescence. The flowers of Charlie grapes are bisexual, so the bushes can be safely planted as one of the first on the site - they will bear fruit even alone, since they do not need pollinators.
Cuttings of this variety are characterized by good rooting, so it makes sense to propagate Charlie by cuttings.
Charlie grapes are also attractive for their early ripening - the growing season is about 105-115 days. True, coloring the berries does not mean they are completely ripe. This variety takes quite a long time to accumulate sugar, but if you are patient, you can wait for the sugar content to range from 18 to 22%.
The berries stick well to the bush and do not fall off.In addition, one of the advantages of Charlie grapes is the absence of peas. This means that all the berries in the bunch are approximately the same size, and to acquire a marketable appearance, there is no need to remove small and inconspicuous berries from the bunch.
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 capable of forming and bringing 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 at all a record.
As for frost resistance, the Charlie variety can withstand down 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 zone, another thing is important - how much the grape bushes are able to recover after returning spring frosts, if the buds have already bloomed.
Charlie grapes are also popular due to their resistance to numerous fungal diseases that greatly annoy winegrowers. True, there are no completely resistant grape varieties, but at least when growing them you can try to take preventive measures and not use strong chemicals.Charlie is especially loved by gardeners because his berries are not subject to rot and ripen well even in the rainiest summer, when other grape varieties can leave you without a harvest at all.
Charlie grape berries 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 bushes. But it’s still better to stock up on a special net in advance to protect the ripening bunches from flying barbarians.
Characteristics of berries and clusters
Charlie grapes are primarily famous for the size of their clusters and their attractive presentation.
- The shape of the brush is usually conical, although it can be any irregular shape.
- The bunches are not particularly dense; we can say that the looseness 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. The length of 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 in shape.
- The pulp is fleshy, dense and juicy, the skin is dense, but you can hardly feel it when eating.
- Each berry contains 2-3 medium-sized seeds.
- Charlie berries are stored very well and can even withstand 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 grapes are table grapes for their intended purpose. However, thanks to the good absorption of sugar, many people use it for making wine, as well as making juices and canning.
In the taste sensations of Charlie grapes, many people perceive a certain foreign aftertaste that is associated with the taste of nightshade. Many people don't like him, while others view him quite favorably.
However, judging by the reviews of winegrowers, this taste is inherent only in unripe grapes. If you let the bunches hang on the bush, already colored, for several weeks and add enough sugar, the taste disappears. Other gardeners claim that the notorious nightshade taste is present only in the first 3-4 years of the grape bush’s life, and then goes away forever.
Reviews from gardeners
Reviews from winegrowers and ordinary summer residents about the Charlie grape variety are very contradictory, although everyone is unanimous in one thing: this is a real hard worker grape that will not leave you without a harvest under any circumstances.
Conclusion
Charlie's grapes are, 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 for the berries to fully ripen, then you will be able to fully enjoy all the incomparable characteristics of this variety.
