Attica grapes

Seedless grape varieties or raisins will always be in special demand among gardeners, because these berries are more versatile in use. Of these, you can easily prepare grape juice without suffering from removing the seeds. Such berries can be given without fear to children of even the smallest age and, finally, they are ideal for making homemade raisins – one of the most useful and delicious natural delicacies.

Attica grapes, a description of the variety and a photo of which you can find in this article, is precisely a representative of the seedless group. Since this grape variety came to us from abroad, one of its English names speaks of the same fact – Attika seedless, that is, seedless attica.

Attica grapes

Description and history of the variety

The very name of the grape variety eloquently testifies to its origin. Attica is one of the regions of central Greece, and in her honor, the Greek scientist, breeder V. Mikhos, named the hybrid form of grapes he received back in 1979. In order for Attica grapes to be born, Mihos needed to cross between themselves Black Kishmish (an ancient variety of Central Asian origin) and Alphonse Lavalle (a variety of French origin). As a result, a kind of interethnic hybrid of grapes was obtained, which, despite its rather southern origin, may well grow and ripen even in the weather conditions of central Our Country, of course, under shelters.

Comment! And in the southern regions, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory, this crop is actively grown on large areas in uncovered vineyards.

The bushes of this grape form have above average growth power. It is encouraging that young vines have time to mature along the entire length in a relatively short time. This allows the grapes to resist frost well, although the overall frost resistance of the variety, which is expressed primarily in the minimum temperature that the fruit buds can withstand without shelter, is not too high – they are able to withstand, according to various sources, from -19 ° C to -23 ° FROM.

Attica grapes

A positive point in growing Attica grapes is that the cuttings of this variety take root quite easily. Judging by the reviews, even one hundred percent rooting is possible under favorable conditions. It also grows well with rootstocks, so it can be easily grafted onto more hardy rootstocks.

Weakly dissected grape leaves can be either three- or five-lobed. They have a rich green tint, the upper surface of the leaf blade is matte, bare, coarsely wrinkled, the lower one is pubescent.

The flowers of Attica are bisexual, which means that the grapes can be used in single plantings or during the initial laying of the vineyard. He does not need a pollinator for the full tying of berries.

Traditionally, Attica grapes are classified as mid-early varieties in terms of ripening, that is, from bud break on a bush to full ripeness of berries, an average of 115-120 days pass. In the conditions of the middle lane, berries will ripen at the very end of August – September. In the south, grapes can ripen even faster – already at the end of July – the first half of August. Much depends on the weather conditions – in the hot summer, Attica grapes can also show super-early ripening dates, but in cool conditions, the harvest may have to wait much longer.

Grapes are well preserved on the bushes and, when ripe, can hang until the very frost, not particularly losing their presentation.

Attica grapes

Important! Attica grapes have one feature – even when the berries are fully colored, this does not mean that they are fully ripe. The longer they hang on the bushes, the better and richer the taste of the grapes will become.

Grapes begin to bear fruit already in the second year after planting. In the third year, about 5 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush. Adult bushes of Attica are known for a very good yield – up to 30 tons per hectare. One adult bush will allow you to collect an average of about 15-20 kg of berries from yourself.

Attica grapes show good resistance to gray rot; resistance to other common fungal diseases of grapes is average. In addition to mandatory preventive spraying, it can be advised not to thicken the bushes, to remove stepchildren in a timely manner, ensuring good ventilation. With thickening of grape bushes, the likelihood of the spread of diseases increases.

Characteristics of berries and clusters

Attica raisin grapes differ from ordinary raisins in a good full-fledged berry size. True, the winegrowers noticed the following feature – if the berries grow especially large, up to 6-7 grams, then they usually contain the so-called rudimentary seed formations. The average size of grapes of this variety is 4-5 grams.

Attica grapes

  • Clusters of Attica grapes have a complex conical-cylindrical shape with many branches.
  • Usually the berries are not located close to each other inside the clusters, but quite dense clusters can also be found.
  • The size of the clusters is quite large – they easily reach 30 cm or more in length.
  • The average weight of one bunch ranges from 700 to 900 grams. But sometimes there are champions weighing up to 2 kg.
  • The berries have a good attachment to the stalk, so the grapes can hang on the bushes without spoiling for a long time.
  • The berries themselves are oval, often elongated. A distinctive feature of the berries of this variety is the presence of small dimples at the end of each grape.
  • The approximate dimensions of the berry are 25×19 mm.
  • The flesh is firm and crispy. Do not forget that it becomes so only after some aging of the bunches on the bushes. In the first week after the grapes are fully colored, the flesh can be slimy and rather tasteless.

    Attica grapes

  • The peel is quite dense, you can even call it thick, but it does not have astringent properties, it is covered with a clearly visible wax coating.
  • The berries are dark purple in color.
  • The taste of Attica grapes is quite interesting, sweet, has some fruity notes of sweet cherry, mulberry or chokeberry.
  • Berries are gaining sugar in the range from 16 to 19 Brix, acidity is about 5%.
  • The variety belongs to the table grape varieties, although it is also sometimes used for wine.
  • Attica is well preserved, under normal conditions – up to several weeks. With long storage, it can only dry out slightly, but rot does not form.
  • The transportability of Attica grapes is also at a high level.

The video below demonstrates all the main characteristics of the Attica grape.

@Attica grapes and Jupiter grapes from USA. blue grapes

Peculiarities of growing

Attica grape bushes are not picky about soils, they can grow on almost all soils, except for saline or waterlogged ones. Makes high demands on warmth and sunlight, as befits a true Greek by origin.

Attica grapes

Attica has some tendency to over-harvest, so buds should be rationed after they have formed, leaving a maximum of two per shoot. Short pruning (by 2-3 eyes) is more suitable for the southern regions, and in the middle lane it is better to carry out medium pruning (by 5-6 eyes). About 30 eyes can be left on one grape bush.

The advantage of this variety is good pollination and fruit set. In principle, treatment with gibberellin (growth stimulator) is not even required. Although it is sometimes used to increase the size of berries and grapes.

In order to prevent diseases, Attica grape bushes need two or three times treatment with fungicides: after bud break, shortly before flowering and immediately after flowering.

Attica grapes

Reviews of gardeners

The reviews of those who planted Attica grapes on their plot are mostly positive. Some discrepancies in the taste of berries are apparently associated with their premature tasting, when they have not yet had time to gain their proper taste and texture.

Vladimir, 42 years old, Saratov
This year, I finally waited for the normal fruiting of Attica grapes. Last year there were several signal brushes on the bushes, but somehow I didn’t taste the taste. I did not observe any problems with diseases in my area. Pollination is just great. The clusters are quite dense, but the berries are perfectly preserved, do not choke, and most importantly, they hold tightly to the branches. Ripening this season was at the beginning of September, I thought they would ripen later, because the weather was not very good in summer. And when I tried it, I was initially disappointed – the taste is fresh, the flesh is slimy. But then somehow he happened to be left without much attention for a couple of weeks and the taste of grapes began to change for the better. As a result, he let it hang until the very frosts, it did not deteriorate at all, on the contrary, the taste only improved, and the flesh became dense and crispy. I also liked the berries themselves – large, unlike ordinary sultanas, rudiments are sometimes found, but they are almost not felt in food.
Eugene, 39 years old, Samara
This year I had the first signal clusters of Attica. During the year, the vine grew by 4 meters, 4 clusters weighing approximately 500-600 grams were formed per bush. The berries themselves are medium in size, at first I did not find traces of rudiments. But in the largest berries on the cut, they are noticeable, although they are not particularly felt in food. In addition to preventive, I did not do any special treatments, the bushes did not hurt. The taste of berries seemed simple, but harmonious. Nothing outstanding, but for our region, a very decent grape variety.
Olga, 37 years old, Volgograd
We have been growing Attica raisins for several years. We are not overjoyed – the variety is quite early, we have ripened at the very beginning of August. It was the most popular on the market, because people are not used to seeing raisins of such large sizes. The taste is original, with distinct fruity notes of currant or cherry. It makes very tasty and high-quality raisins on a conventional electric dryer. And we also make juices and compotes for the winter – they are usually one of the first to leave, they don’t even stay for wine, and there are other, more suitable varieties for wine.
Nikolai, 46 years old, Rostov region
Planted 2 Attica bushes last spring. I filled the landing pit: a bucket of compost, wood ash, sand, black earth, rotted mullein. I didn’t feed anything else, I didn’t process it. Watered almost every day in a bucket of water. Over the summer, two or three shoots 1,5 meters long have grown. The leaves and shoots of the grapes are in excellent condition, no sores were noticed. The bushes also had no reaction to the rains. By autumn (October), the vine had matured by about a meter or more. In winter, both bushes left without shelter. The most severe frost was recorded in the region of -23°С with winds. In the spring, all the buds woke up, now flowering is actively underway, and the first signal brushes are formed. So the frost resistance of Attica is really amazing.

Conclusion

Perhaps due to its foreign or southern origin, Attica grapes are not as popular in Our Country as other varieties. But, this hybrid form is able to surprise with its stability, productivity, and taste. So the one who tries to give her a place on the site is unlikely to be disappointed.

Grape Kishmish Attica is one of the best summer kishmish. Greek sultana (Puzenko Natalya Lariasovna)

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