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Many newcomers to viticulture, trying to understand the variety of varieties and modern hybrid forms of grapes, make the mistake of believing that it no longer makes sense to grow old varieties, since they have been replaced by new, more stable and easier to handle. Of course, in many ways, selection has really made a huge step forward, and for many vegetable and fruit crops, old varieties are often incomparable with new ones obtained in recent decades.
But grapes have always been grown by true enthusiasts of their craft, for whom caring for their plant pets was even more than an ordinary hobby. It is not for nothing that the maximum number of now well-known and now popular hybrid forms of grapes, pleasing with their characteristics of yield, taste and sustainability, was obtained from amateur winegrowers.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the Rizamat grape, bred more than half a century ago in Central Asia, still remains unsurpassed in some of its characteristics, and above all, in taste and yield. Yes, it takes a lot of effort to grow it, but the result is worth it and real winegrowers understand this well.It is for this reason that Rizamat grapes are still grown in many areas and perhaps even those who once removed them still regret it. You can find a description of the variety and a photo of the incomparable Rizamat in this article, but its seedlings will be much more difficult to find. Moreover, in recent years a large number of varieties have appeared that, hiding behind his name, are trying to find their buyer. But almost all of them are practically incomparable with the true Rizamat grape variety.
Description of the variety
The Rizamat grape variety is unique in that it is equally excellent when consumed fresh and when dried as raisins. Therefore, this variety is often called not just table, but even table-raisin. The Rizamat grape was obtained in the middle of the last century in Uzbekistan by the famous winegrower Rizamat Musamukhamedov, in whose honor it received its name. The parents of this variety were the local grape varieties Katta-Kurgan and Parkent. But their brainchild surpassed both parents in its characteristics.
The growth form of Rizamat bushes is so significant that this variety is not even recommended to be planted in the general row. At least when planting, you need to retreat 5-6 meters from the nearest grape bush. It is best to give it complete freedom to grow and plant it alone, especially since its flowers are bisexual, which means there are no problems with pollination and the presence of other grape varieties nearby is not at all necessary.
Moreover, the leaves are not particularly large in size; they are round, slightly dissected, bare on the underside and have about five lobes.
Stepchildren grow throughout the season and very intensively, so they must be removed regularly, but pruning the bushes, especially in the spring and summer, is not recommended. Already at the end of summer, when the harvest is ripening, a small chasing of shoots is allowed. The shoots of this variety are characterized by good ripening, and their slight pruning will allow them to ripen along their entire length.
Rizamat's pollination rate and tassel set are at a good level.
According to the ripening period, Rizomat grapes belong to the mid-early varieties. To fully ripen, it needs 130-150 days from the beginning of the growing season, and the sum of active temperatures must be at least 3000°. Usually Rizamat begins to ripen in the southern regions of Russia from late August to mid-September.
Cuttings of this variety have good rooting, which cannot be said about the survival rate of scions. Therefore, propagation of the variety by grafting is quite difficult, while growing own-rooted seedlings does not present any particular problems.
After ripening, berries should not be left on the bushes; they can quickly lose their presentation. It is better to harvest as soon as the grapes ripen. Moreover, wasps also adore this grape variety and are not averse to eating it whole.
What else Rizamat grapes are famous for is their amazing yield. On average, 200-250 centners of berries are harvested from one hectare of plantings. But this doesn’t say much to an ordinary summer resident, but if you say that you can harvest 70-80 kg of grapes from one bush, then this fact can already impress anyone.
But unfortunately, this is where the list of advantages of the variety ends. And we can move on to its shortcomings.The Rizamat grape does not tolerate frosts below -18°C, and therefore needs very good shelters even in the south of Russia. A few layers of polyethylene and burlap will not be enough for him. Most likely, you will need to cover the vines with soil, which, of course, is very labor-intensive.
In addition, Rizamat is not resistant to diseases and, above all, to oidium, or in other words, to powdery mildew. According to various sources, it needs from 3-4 to 5-7 treatments against diseases per season. True, in the modern world this has become easier than in previous years.
Well, in order to get a plentiful and high-quality harvest, grapes need regular watering and fertilizing, in addition, they are one of the adherents of a high agricultural background. This means that before planting grape bushes, the soil should not only be as free as possible from weed, but also comprehensively fertilized and cared for.
Characteristics of bunches and berries
Rizamat can rightfully be proud of both the appearance of its berries and bunches and their taste.
- The clusters have a loose conical shape with branches of various sizes.
- Their size is usually large and very large. The weight of an average bunch is 700-900 grams, but clusters weighing two or even three kilograms are often found.
- The clusters are not very dense; they can be called rather loose. In the video below you can take a closer look at the bunches of young Rizamat grape bushes.
- The berries are also large in size, their weight can reach up to 14-15 grams.
- The shape of the berries is oblong, cylindrical. They can reach 4-5 cm in length. Although sometimes the berries are of the usual oval shape.The most interesting thing is that Rizamat has berries of slightly different shapes on the same bush.
- The skin is thin, completely imperceptible to the taste, pink in color, and on one side the berries are darker and richer than on the other.
- The berries are covered with a waxy coating of medium density.
- The pulp of the Rizomat grape is very dense and crunchy.
- There are few seeds, about 3-4 per berry, and they are almost invisible when eaten. It is for this reason that raisins that are absolutely stunning in taste and beauty can be made from Rizamat berries.
- The taste is sweet, juicy, completely unique. It can reach sugar content from 18 to 23 Brix. In this case, the acidity level is 5-6 g/l. Tasters give its berries one of the highest ratings - 9.1 points on a 10-point scale.
- Universal use - Rizamat is a real delicacy when eaten fresh, and, in addition, it produces very beautiful and tasty raisins. Of course, you can make juices and compotes from it, but it’s even a pity to let such beauty be recycled.
- The berries are stored well and can withstand short transportation.
Doubles and “descendants” of Rizamat
Rizamat was and remains such a popular grape variety, despite numerous attempts to discredit it by inept winegrowers, that it has many doubles.
Rizamat Sustainable
One of the most common doubles of the Ukrainian selection also has many additional names, but genetically it is in no way connected with the real Rizamat. This is a completely separate variety, which somewhat resembles Rizamat in the shape of the clusters and berries, but otherwise has nothing in common with it.
Even judging by the description of the Rizamat resistant grape variety and reviews of it with photos, it is difficult to confuse it with the real Rizamat, since its clusters are not so large, the color of the berries is lighter, almost white with a slight pink tint. It ripens much later than the usual Rizamat, and in terms of taste characteristics they are not at all comparable.
According to the stated characteristics, its resistance to disease is higher than that of Rizamat, although judging by the reviews of winegrowers, this indicator is also controversial. Its flowers are female and therefore require a pollinator. It is distinguished by its enormous growth power, in this respect it is comparable to Rizamat, but still, according to most winegrowers, giving such a name to this grape is nothing more than a commercial ploy.
The famous three
Many believe that three very popular hybrid forms of Krainov's selection: Transfiguration, Anniversary of Novocherkassk and Victor, in many characteristics resemble Rizamat grapes. Indeed, bunches and berries are very similar, but at least these forms exist completely independently and do not claim the right, at least to some extent, to be called Rizamat.
Rizamat early
The grape variety Slava Moldavia, which is also called Early Rizamat or Shahiney of Iran, looks quite strongly like Rizamat. But its berries are still smaller in weight and size, its resistance to disease is almost the same, and its taste can be very disappointing.
Descendant of Rizamat
Breeder Kapelyushny bred another interesting hybrid form obtained from crossing Rizamat and Talisman, which he initially called Descendant of Rizamat.The shape turned out to be quite successful, with berries similar to those of Rizamat, but otherwise it requires more detailed study. In recent years, it was renamed Juliana, so as not to inflame passions around Rizamat.
Finally, on the Internet you can find a variety called Black Rizamat. This already resembles outright fraud, since there is currently no confirmed data on the existence of such grapes, and its description completely corresponds to the description of the usual Rizamat.
Reviews from gardeners
Those who actually grew Rizamat on their plots are very satisfied with their grapes and are not going to part with them, except due to exceptional life circumstances.
Conclusion
For some people, the many modern forms and varieties of grapes introduced into culture still cannot replace one old variety, but unsurpassed in some respects. This is the Rizamat grape, for some outdated and unstable, but for true connoisseurs and connoisseurs of taste - a real diamond in the grape collection.
