Odessa Black is a wine grape variety with medium or medium-late ripening, widely used for producing high-quality red dry, dessert, and sparkling wines. The berries are round, black with a thick waxy bloom, and have a diameter of 13-16 mm. The skin is tough, and the flesh is juicy with a vivid ruby-colored juice. The flavor of the grape has a tomato-like note with cherry and thorn tones, imparting a distinctive bouquet and harmony to the wine. The berries contain 2-3 seeds, and the average weight of 100 berries is about 140 g.
The leaves are of medium size, round, with 3-5 lobes and wavy edges. The upper leaf margins are of medium depth or shallow, open, while the lower ones are barely noticeable. The underside of the leaves has a web-like, bristly pubescence. The flowers are perfect, promoting good pollination and stable yields. The clusters are conical, medium-sized, and loose, with a weight of 140 to 280 g and a length of 13-16 cm. The cluster stem is thick and sufficiently long.
The variety is characterized by high and stable yields, reaching 120-130 centners per hectare, as well as moderate resistance to gray mold and oidium. Odessa Black is suitable not only for producing dry and dessert wines but also for semi-sweet wines, sparkling wine materials, and juices. Its rich color and distinctive flavor make wines from this variety rich and harmonious, with a tasting score of about 8.3 points.
