Muscat Yantarny

Main Characteristics

The Muscat Yantarny grape variety was bred at the Central Asian Experimental Station of VIR by crossing the Ranny Kibraisky and Muscat Vostochny varieties, and was selected and propagated at the Moldavian Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking. The authors of the variety are M. S. Zhuravel, A. I. Frolov, I. P. Gavrilov, and G. M. Borzikova. The variety has been regionally zoned since 1986 in the Crimean region.

Muscat Yantarny is a typical table grape variety of a very early ripening period used for fresh consumption. From bud break to berry maturity, it takes 107–115 days, with harvesting taking place in mid-August. The average cluster weight is 240 g, and the weight of 100 berries is 182–231 g. The mechanical composition of the cluster is characterized by the following indicators: juice — 87.9%, skin and dense parts of the pulp — 8.1%, stems — 1.4%, and seeds — 2.6%. The sugar content of the berry juice reaches 22–25 g/100 ml with an acidity of 16–18 g/l. The berry pulp possesses a pronounced muscat aroma, and the tasting score of fresh grapes is 8.4–9 points. The variety is distinguished by high transportability: the berry detachment force is 480 g, and the crushing force is 1301 g.

Morphological Description of the Muscat Yantarny Grape Variety

The leading characteristics of the Muscat Yantarny variety are light green, almost entire leaves with multidirectional saw-toothed marginal teeth, fairly loose clusters with amber berries, a muscat flavor, and very early ripening.

• Young shoot (shoot tip): The tip and first leaves of the young shoot are pubescent, glossy, with a pinkish margin and a faint bronze tint.
• One-year-old matured cane: Light brown, with brown nodes.
• Mature leaf: Medium-sized, round, moderately divided, five-lobed, sometimes almost entire, funnel-shaped. Upper lateral sinuses are open and lyre-shaped; lower sinuses are barely noticeable. The petiolar sinus is closed with a narrowly elliptical lumen. Teeth at the tips of the lobes are triangular with a broad base; marginal teeth are saw-toothed. Pubescence along the main veins on the lower leaf surface is weak and bristly.
• Flower: Hermaphroditic (bisexual).
• Cluster: Medium-sized (16–18 cm long), cylindro-conical, medium-compact, less often loose.
• Berry: Medium-sized (16 mm long, 15 mm wide), round, greenish-amber at full maturity. The skin is dense; the pulp is fleshy-juicy with a muscat aroma. Each berry contains 2–3 seeds.

Agrotechnical Features and Resistance

Vines of the Muscat Yantarny grape variety are of medium vigor, and the maturation of one-year-old shoots is good, reaching 90%. The variety is characterized by high yields of 82–120 c/ha and more. Under the conditions of Alushta (Crimea), the proportion of fruit-bearing shoots reaches 90%, with an average of 0.7 inflorescences per developed shoot and 1.8 per fruit-bearing shoot.

The Muscat Yantarny variety is susceptible to downy mildew and powdery mildew (oidium), but is relatively resistant to berry cracking and rotting. Frost resistance is low: the variety withstands frosts down to minus 18–20 °C. Muscat Yantarny responds well to high agricultural management and prefers warm slopes with rich, well-drained soils. The recommended vine spacing is 2.5–3 × 1.5 m, using a two-arm cordon training system on a trunk 0.7–1 m high. The optimal vine load is 30–40 buds, leaving 6–7 buds per fruiting cane during pruning. The Muscat Yantarny grape variety grafts well onto Riparia × Rupestris 101-14, Berlandieri × Riparia SO4, and Craciunel 2 rootstocks.