Kabassia

Main characteristics of Kabassia grapes

The Kabassia variety is an ancient Moldovan technical grape variety of folk selection, locally known among the population as Poma batuta neagra or Batuta neagra. The cultivar became widespread in the vineyards of Ukraine under the synonyms Znamensky and Cherny sbitiy, and is found in old Don vineyards under the name Dnestrovsky. This grape belongs to the category of universal wine-table varieties of the very late ripening period. Full technological maturity of the berries occurs in early October in Moldova and in the last days of September in the Odessa region.

Morphological characteristics of vegetative and generative organs of the variety:

• Formed leaf: Large, dark green, dense, and leathery in structure, slightly funnel-shaped or almost flat with characteristically upturned margins. The leaf blade is deeply sectioned. The upper surface is smooth and shiny, with a visual effect of a lacquered surface, sometimes showing a weak net-like wrinkled (reticulate-rugose) structure. The lower surface is covered with a dense cobwebby pubescence that partially gathers into flakes by autumn, mixed with stiff bristles on the veins of the lower tier leaves.
• Leaf incisions and sinuses: Upper incisions are shallow, formed as incoming angles or narrow slots; open lyre-shaped incisions of medium depth or closed ones with ovate openings are occasionally fixed. Lower incisions are poorly developed and barely marked morphologically. The petiolar sinus varies from open lyre-shaped with a mandatory sharp bottom to closed with an elliptical opening; in funnel-shaped leaves, the opening can be completely closed.
• Teeth: Triangular at the ends of the leaf lobes, characterized by wide bases. Marginal teeth along the perimeter of the blade have strongly convex sides with sharp apexes.
• Bunch: Medium-sized or large, reaching a length of 20–22 cm. The shape of smaller bunches is close to cylindrical, while well-developed generative organs are cylindro-conical with short lobes at the base. The structure is very dense, visually resembling cobs of corn.
• Berry: Medium-sized and round. Due to severe mechanical compression inside dense bunches, the berries frequently acquire a deformed, irregular polyhedral shape. The coloration is dark blue, and the skin is rather thick but soft and fragile in structure.

Agricultural practices of the Kabassia variety

Vines are characterized by strong growth vigor and a good degree of wood maturity of the annual shoots. Cultivar productivity is highly stable, reaching maximum indicators on rich, sufficiently moistened soils. The plants possess hermaphroditic flowers. When cultivated in the vineyards of the Lower Don and southern Ukraine, the variety demonstrates reduced winter hardiness and high sensitivity to mildew infection. A significant agricultural disadvantage is poor resistance to atmospheric precipitation during the ripening period, which causes mass cracking and subsequent rotting of the berries.

Consumption and harvest processing capabilities

The technological potential of the berries is characterized by a melting pulp that tightly encloses the seeds, as well as low-sugar, sourish juice with an ordinary flavor profile. The sugar accumulation process proceeds slowly, and the limit indicators typically do not exceed 16–18%. The harvested crop yields dry table wines of low quality, unsuitable for long-term storage and aging. The most promising direction of processing is the utilization of base wine materials for brandy distillation. The grapes are partially used fresh for local consumption, and the variety is officially included in the standard assortments of certain regions of the Ukrainian SSR for the needs of the brandy industry.