Magarach Citron Grapes: Characteristics and Description of the Variety, Planting and Care

Crimean industrial grape varieties comprise a wide variety. Among them, Magarach Citron stands out, beloved by winegrowers for its consistent yield and ease of maintenance.

The berries produce excellent table and dessert wines with a unique flavor and aroma. The variety is primarily cultivated in the southern regions, but gardeners in the central regions also successfully grow Magaracha.

Description of the variety

The Citron variety was bred by scientists at the Magarach Research Institute (Crimea) and has been registered in the variety register since 2004. It is recommended for use in winemaking (technical processing).

The parent pair is the early-ripening Madeleine Angevin and Novoukrainsky. The resulting variety is mid-season in terms of harvest time, primarily intended for dessert and table wines, as well as champagne.

Young vines are green, while mature shoots turn brown and dark red. The bush is vigorous and grows rapidly, so trellis support should be provided immediately.

The leaf blades are trilobed, smooth, and pubescent. The pink petiole has an open, deeply notched notch. The leaves are bright green. The flowers are bisexual. Magarach Citron does not require pollinators.

Description of fruits

The clusters are elongated and conical, reaching 18-22 cm in length. Multiple wings are typically formed. The standard weight is 250-270 grams, with some specimens reaching 320-350 grams.

Round berries with a thin but firm skin. The color is golden, turning yellow-amber when ripe. The dense pulp contains 3-4 seeds. Each berry weighs 3-4 grams, with a sugar content of 25-27%. The acidity is 6-7 g/l.

The taste is pleasant, with a pronounced aroma of citrus and nutmeg.

Vine ripening is stable, reaching 85-90%. During harvest, 8-9 kg of berries are harvested from a mature bush.

This undemanding variety is resistant to common diseases, suffers little from pests, and is not attacked by wasps. It tolerates temperatures down to -25ºC, but is most often grown as a cover crop.

Wine made from Magarachi has a refined floral-citrus aroma, with a muscat flavor.

Grapes grown in Crimea attain standard sugar levels. Sugar levels in other regions are lower. In the central part of the country, Magarach Citron is grown for blending with other grape varieties, while in the south, it is used as a single-variety grape.

Berry wines are rated 7.8-7.9 points on a tasting scale out of a total of 8 points. Magarach's citron wine is the basis for award-winning wine brands at international exhibitions. One of the well-known brands is Muscat White (1998), which has won awards at numerous winemaking competitions around the world.

Advantages and disadvantages

According to winegrowers, Magarach's Citron is popular as a wine grape variety. It is prized for its ease of cultivation, stability, and disease resistance.

Advantages:

• good taste;
• excellent raw material for winemaking;
• high rates of maturation of first-year shoots;
• dense berry structure, no cracking;
• easy care.

Grapes are a crop that requires careful agricultural practices. However, this variety is quite low-maintenance, requiring standard care, taking into account local conditions and weather.

Among the disadvantages, average frost resistance is noted, as despite the stated characteristics, the vine still requires winter protection. Gardeners in the central and northwestern regions should be especially careful, as in these areas, although Citronny bears fruit, it requires more attention.

Cons:

• under heavy load, there is a delay in the ripening of berries in the bunch;
• the need to standardize the bunches of grapes on the vine.

Compared to the pros, there are not so many cons.

Selecting a site and landing

This heat-loving southerner prefers sunny, well-lit, and sheltered locations. It's best to purchase seedlings from certified nurseries. Plants with closed root systems are preferable.

The best soils for Magarach are sandy loams with neutral pH. Loams are amended with ash, a little peat, and humus. Acidic soils are improved by adding slaked lime or dolomite flour.

For fall planting, prepare the holes 2-3 weeks in advance; for spring planting, dig them in September or October. Add a nutritious soil mixture (humus, ash, or any complex fertilizer).

When planting, the root collar can be buried up to five centimeters deep. After planting, the seedlings are mulched with hay, peat, or humus. The distance between holes for Magarachi is 1.8-2 meters.

Agricultural technology

Following simple techniques ensures good growth of the vine in the first years and the formation of fruiting shoots.

Watering and fertilizing

The Magarach Citron variety requires a high watering schedule. It's especially important to maintain the schedule during the first year of planting, when the seedling's roots don't extend beyond the planting hole.

Water the plants every 7-10 days, depending on the weather. It's best to water in the evening, using sun-warmed water. In the second year, watering every 10-14 days will be sufficient, stopping once the vines have matured.

Approximate diagram:

• spring watering when buds open;
• after flowering, when berries are forming;
• the beginning of berry ripening.

During the flowering period and at the peak of ripening, do not water the grapes. Be sure to keep the soil well-moistened, not limited to surface irrigation.

During the first two years, grapevines don't require any additional fertilizing. The fertilizer added to the planting hole is sufficient. Starting in the third year, vineyards are fertilized based on the condition of the plants.

Scheme:

1. Spring feeding, before the bushes bloom. Add organic matter (manure, wood ash). 10-20 liters of diluted cow manure (1:10) per bush is sufficient.
2. Fertilize after flowering, approximately 10-12 days before fruit set. Use active nitrogen (20 grams of ammonium nitrate) and 10 grams of potassium mag. The fertilizers are diluted in water and watered at the roots.
3. Magarach is fertilized for the third time three weeks before harvest. Nitrogen is excluded from the fertilizer, and potassium and phosphorus are used. The best option is 20 grams of potassium fertilizer and the same amount of superphosphate. These additions improve the grapes' flavor and increase the weight of the berries.
4. Autumn fertilization isn't done every year. If the vineyard is planted on fertile soil, fertilize the plants every other year. Complex mineral fertilizers are used.

Foliar feeding of Magarachi Citronny ensures rapid nutrient absorption. Options:

• treatment of leaves before flowering of grapes, boric acid (5 grams per bucket of water);
• spraying after flowering (superphosphate extract);
• two weeks before berry picking (potassium or phosphorus supplements).

The leaves are treated on the underside.

Formation of grapes

Magarach Citronny is prone to overgrowth, so in addition to traditional bush formation and pruning, vine regulating is practiced.

Vines are pruned to 8-10 buds. They are formed using a fan-shaped pattern (usually leaving four branches). Without pruning, the vines will ripen later, and the weight of the bunches and berries will decrease.

In the first year, leave no more than two strong shoots; the rest are broken off. In the fall, prune the bushes and remove side shoots. Prune the shoots to 2-3 buds, no more. In the second year, 3-5 strong shoots will emerge, of which the four strongest are selected.

They should be long and strong. Each is pruned back by four buds, ensuring that the branches do not extend beyond the trellis. In the third year, the four branches will bear young shoots (vines), where the first "signal flowers" (clusters) of Magarach may well appear.

Third-year pruning: select two strong shoots by their branches, and remove weak ones. It's advisable to leave a replacement shoot (pruning one shoot to two buds).

After this, every year in the fall, the fruiting vine is cut out, a new one is trimmed, and the lower one is left for replacement.

It is recommended to grow Magarach on a trellis with two planes.

Autumn pruning of mature bushes:

• removal of old, diseased branches;
• removal of weak shoots, last year's vines,

After about 6-8 years, the grape bushes are rejuvenated, gradually replacing the old branches with young ones.

Disease prevention, pest control

The Magarach Citron grape is prized for its relatively high resistance to infections. With proper care, the variety is virtually immune to mildew and root phylloxera.

Less resistance to powdery mildew, but with preventative measures this problem can be successfully avoided.

Preventive measures:

• spring treatment of bushes with Nitrafen (protective measures are required when working);
• before flowering – treatment with any fungicides;
• to prevent powdery mildew in July, Magarach is sprayed with Quadris and Flint;
• In September, after harvesting, the vineyards are sprayed with Strobi and Flint solutions.

If there are no signs of disease or pests, spring preventative spraying is sufficient. Bordeaux mixture, colloidal sulfur, and copper oxychloride are suitable for this purpose.

Citron Magarachi's disease resistance indicators:

• oidium – up to 2 points;
• mildew – up to 3 points.

Chemical preparations for preventative spraying can be replaced with folk remedies (onion peel, baking soda, horsetail tincture, garlic).

Harvesting

The ripening time for this variety varies depending on weather and growing conditions. In Crimea, the berries ripen in late August, while in other regions with harsher conditions, they ripen in September.

Experienced winegrowers keep the berries on the vine until they reach their maximum sugar content—24-25%. At this point, the grapes acquire their distinctive Muscat flavor.

If the grapes are overharvested or, conversely, harvested too early, only citrus notes remain, with no Muscat flavor. Therefore, when making wine, it's crucial to time the harvest correctly and not miss the harvest.

On an industrial scale, the berries of this variety are used to produce dessert and table wines with floral, citrus and honey aromas.

The Citronny Magaracha grape variety is popular with gardeners across various regions. Although it is recommended for southern regions, industrial grapes are successfully grown in more northern areas, producing excellent yields.

Reviews

Igor, Pavlovsky Posad

Magarach Citron has been growing on my plot since 2010. It's an excellent grape; it has never let me down. I don't leave any clusters for the first three years, and I even remove the vines in the second year. I leave half a cluster for the third year. This ensures good root development. The berries are delicious; I make homemade wine; even factory-produced wines don't have this flavor. My entire family swears by Citron wine.

Mikhail, Voronezh

I always praise Magarach, as it impresses with its yield and the flavor of its berries. It really dislikes being overloaded. If you're lazy and don't regulate the grapes, the vines won't ripen in our area. But even if they do, the muscat development is slow, and you won't get the desired flavor of a true Magarach. I only load the grapes in the fourth year; I leave two grapes per year. The grapes themselves are delicious and refreshing.

Irina, Moscow region

My Citronka ripens late. So, given our changeable weather, I pick the berries early. The flavor isn't great, but that's understandable—they're not ripe yet. I think I'll give up on this variety; it's easier to bring grapes from the south for winemaking. I'll continue growing other, earlier varieties.