Alicant Bushe is a technical grape variety of medium ripening period belonging to the Western European eco-geographic group. The bushes are of medium height with large, medium-cut leaves of dark green color, covered with medium hair on the underside. The flowers are perfect, which contributes to good pollination and crop formation. The clusters are medium-sized, wide-conical, branched and dense, while the berries are round, medium-sized, blue-black in color with a thick skin covered with a blue waxy bloom. The berry flesh is juicy, and the juice is distinguished by intense color. Alicant Bushe is characterized by high yield - 65-70 centners per hectare. The variety requires warm conditions for successful cultivation and is not drought-resistant. It is susceptible to infections such as mildew, oidium, gray rot and especially anthracnose, which requires careful care and plant protection. Frost resistance of the variety reaches -22 degrees, which allows growing it in regions with a moderate climate. Wine material from Alicant Bushe grapes is widely used to improve the color of red wines by blending, especially in combination with the Pamid variety, where its share is 5-6%. Thanks to the intense color of the juice and high yield, this variety is preferred for enhancing the color and quality of wine beverages compared to other varieties used for blending.
