Mavrud

Names and synonyms:

Mavrud (Romania), Mavroud (France), Kaushanskiy (Moldova), Kacciela (Pomorie, Burgas – Bulgaria).

Origin and distribution:

Mavrud variety is a local Bulgarian red wine grape variety. It is known since ancient times and one of the autochthonous varieties grown on the largest areas in the country, mainly in southern Bulgaria (Roychev, 2023). It belongs to the Black Sea Ecological and Geographical Group. As of 2020, the area occupied by Mavrud was about 1265 ha, representing 3.82 ha. % of the red wine varieties and 2,10 % of all vine varieties distributed in Bulgaria (MAF, Agrostatistics Department, 2020).

Botanical description (Roychev, 2012; IVV):

A young summer-racel. The crown is cotton-white, with a pink edge. Young leaves are strongly mossy on both sides, to the top cottony, gray-green and slightly pink on the periphery. The shoot is light green, streaked with wine red, highly mossy, to the top cottony.

It's a mature summer tree. The internodes are medium long and thick with slightly convex nodes, almost cylindrical, slightly edged. The rind is chestnut-reddish, with brown stripes, on the knots with a violet hue and a waxy paste. Winter eyes are medium-sized, sharp.

It's a sheet. Large (20,1/19,5 cm), five-sided, bottom highly mossy-chetinous, dense, pleated upwards. The upper side incisions are most often closed, deep, with a wide elliptical opening and a rounded bottom, often with a tooth at the base. The lower creases are open, medium deep, lyrical. The tail cut is open, deep, arched, wide, with a flat rounded bottom.

It's a bunch of grapes. Medium size (16.3/10.9 cm), conical with wings, semi-concise to concise. The average mass of the bunch is about 300 g.

It's a nipple. Medium to small (12.6/12.2 mm), spherical. The skin is medium thick, elastic, dark blue, covered with abundant waxy plaster. The texture is juicy and the taste is pleasantly sweet, fresh. The average mass of a grain is 1.5-1.6 g.

Agrobiological characteristic:

Mavrud is a late-ripening red wine variety. In the Pleven region, the grapes ripen in the first decade of October. In the region of Plovdiv and Asenovgrad ripens at the end of September or at the beginning of October. The duration of the period from budding to technological maturity is about 170-175 days. The vines are characterised by medium to strong growth, good fertility and yield, which vary by year. When the vines are overloaded, the quality of the grapes is greatly reduced. The variety is highly sensitive to mildew and oidium. Grapes are practically resistant to gray rot. The vines have low resistance to low winter temperatures, which is why its stem cultivation is possible only in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below -16°C. The Mavrud variety does not have a good affinity for the vine pads distributed in the country and forms the so-called brooks in the place above the solder. The highest percentage of first-class vine planting material, with a very good solder and a highly developed root system, is obtained when grafting the MK4 rootstock.

Technological characteristic:

More mechanical composition of the grape variety Mavrud is a typical wine variety, with a high percentage of solid fraction in the grains. This is a prerequisite for obtaining phenolic-rich substances and extractive wines. The theoretical must rate is medium – above 82 %. The sugar content of grapes varies considerably by year, from 17.0 % up to 22.0 % and is strongly influenced by the strain on the vines and the climatic conditions during the ripening period of the grapes. Titratable acidity is most often high at 6.5 g/dm³ up to 10.5 g/dm³. The grapes of the Mavrud variety are suitable for the production of quality red dry wines. It is one of the most valuable local red wine varieties. The wines are intensely (from dark red to garnet) coloured, with moderately high acidity, extractive and with an optimal content of phenolic substances, harmonious. After ageing in oak barrels, the wine develops its maximum qualities.

Variations and Branches:

Two branches, Mavrud 1 and Mavrud 2, have been selected and approved by the DSK. The ILV Pleven was selected as candidate branch Mavrud 108.