Gymza

Main Characteristics

Gymza is an old red wine grape variety. The main cultivation areas are located in the northern regions of Bulgaria, and the variety is also cultivated in Romania, Hungary, and Serbia. Hungary is considered the historical homeland of the grape, but the specific high-value clone No. 5 described here was selected in Bulgaria, at the Pleven Institute of Viticulture and Enology. The variety belongs to the Black Sea ecological-geographic group; its exact genetic origin is not documented. The ripening period is late. Under the climatic conditions of Pleven, the crop ripens in late September to early October, with a total growing season of approximately 170 days. The Gymza variety is characterized by high fruitfulness and yield potential. Due to the vines' tendency to overcrop, yield management is required: an excess of clusters reduces sugar accumulation, extract content, and color intensity, which deteriorates wine quality. The average weight of the compact cluster is 170–180 g. The round berries weighing 2.3–2.7 g feature thin skin and fleshy pulp. Sugar accumulation is moderate, reaching 21–22% at technological maturity, with a titratable juice acidity of 6.4–8.4 g/L. The grape is suitable for both winemaking and fresh consumption.

Morphological Features of Vegetative Organs Used to Identify the Gymza Variety:

• Young shoot (tip): The shoot tip is completely covered with dense arachnose tomentum, waxy-yellow with a faint pink margin. The herbaceous shoot is pubescent (more intensely toward the apex), green with longitudinal wine-red stripes.
• Young leaves: Strongly pubescent, becoming cotton-like near the shoot apex. The coloration is golden-yellow with a copper hue, and the uppermost leaves appear whitish.
• Mature leaf: Large (20.5 by 20.7 cm), five-lobed, with the width exceeding the length. The leaf blade is folded upward in a gutter-like manner, and the upper surface is rugose or finely bullate. The lower surface is heavily covered with stiff bristle-arachnose pubescence displaying a characteristic rusty hue. The upper lateral sinuses are open, shallow to medium, lyre-shaped with parallel sides and an acute base. The lower sinuses are open and shallow. The petiolar sinus is closed, forming an elliptical opening with slightly overlapping lobes and an acute base.
• Mature cane (vine): Internodes are of medium length (about 5 cm), medium thickness, and flattened in cross-section. Nodes are chestnut-brown, slightly swollen, with a violet tint. The bark is light chestnut, turning violet near the nodes. Winter buds are of medium size and conical.
• Cluster: Medium-sized (14.8 by 8.9 cm), cylindrical-conical, usually winged, and very dense (compact).
• Berry: Medium-sized (14.8 by 14.6 mm), almost spherical, often deformed due to the high density of the cluster. The skin is thin, fragile, dark blue, and covered with an abundant waxy bloom (prune). The pulp is fleshy, and the flavor is harmonious and neutral.

Cultivation and Vineyard Management

The Gymza grape variety requires short spur pruning to 2–4 buds due to the high fruitfulness of its shoots and the risk of vine overcropping. In regions without extreme winter temperatures, the variety is successfully cultivated on high-stem training systems (Moser type) with short fruit-bearing units. Due to the low winter hardiness of the dormant buds, low-trained systems such as the goblet form or the single Guyot system are recommended in frost-prone or burial zones to allow winter protection. The recovery capacity of the vines after winter damage is high. The Gymza variety is not prone to flower shattering or millerandage. It exhibits high susceptibility to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and botrytis bunch rot. The risk of bunch rot increases during rainy autumns due to the cracking of the thin skin within the dense clusters. The variety is fully compatible with widely used rootstocks.

Winemaking and Product Characteristics

The technological juice yield is high, exceeding 85%. Grapes of the Gymza variety are used to produce red table wines with a fruity aroma dominated by raspberry notes. The palate is soft, balanced, and possesses a pleasant freshness. Based on phenolic compound content, anthocyanin levels, and color intensity, the vinous material is classified as a light type of dry red wine. The product is suitable for consumption when young, and when aged for 1–2 years, it rapidly develops its quality characteristics.