Synonyms
Muscat
Romain (France); Salamanne (Italy); Zibibbo (Sicily); Hanepoot (South Africa);
Moscatel Gordo (Spain).
Origin and
cultivation background
Muscat d’Alexandrie is one of the oldest cultivars in
South Africa, dating back to the Van Riebeeck era. The French name of the
cultivar suggests it could have originated in the region close to the ancient
harbour of Alexandria. There are indications that it was cultivated by the
ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Although it occurs in all the warm wine
countries, it is probably most popular in
South Africa, where this multipurpose cultivar is used
for table grapes, raisins, grape juice, moskonfyt, and natural table and liqueur
wines. There is also a red mutation (Red Hanepoot), which is still cultivated
on a very limited scale. White Hanepoot is found in all the regions, with the
largest plantings in Worcester, followed by the Olifants River area.
Cultivation characteristics
Muscat d’Alexandrie is moderately vigorous and has a
semi-upright growth habit. Particular with regard to soil and climate — prefers
reasonably deep soil with good water-retention ability and a moderate climate,
but warm conditions during flowering. It is very fertile and has a high yield
potential when spur pruned. Best adapted as goblet (bush) vines or trellised on
low trellises.
Produces short, thick shoots (short internodes below),
which become thinner towards the tips. The canopy is dense because of numerous
water shoots. Careful attention should be paid to canopy management
practices — particularly suckering. Susceptible to oidium, downy mildew and
anthracnose, and very susceptible to erinose and bud mites. Also susceptible to
sunburn damage — older leaves often display irregular yellow to brown uneven
sunburnt spots. It is an old cuItivar which means that many vines have
degenerated — reproductive material should therefore be selected carefully.
Recently, thorough selection and virus elimination have solved many of the
problems affecting successful cultivation, e.g. poor setting in older clones.
Problems regarding compatibility with a variety of rootstock cultivars have
largely been eliminated byplant improvement procedures.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Yield potential
20—23 tons
per ha
Average sugar concentration
18—22°B
Average acid concentration
5—6 g/l
Clone characteristics :
HP 28 - above average production, big berries
and bunches
HP 32 – above average productions, big bunches
MORPHOLOGY
Shoot tips
Slightly
webby, deep rose.
Leaves
Medium-sized,
round, five-lobed, dark green, blistered, slightly webby underneath. The petiole
sinus is V-shaped, narrow to almost closed. The lateral sinuses are medium to deep
and narrow with lobes (apical sinuses) : that tend to overlap. The teeth are
rectilinear, narrow and pointed. The petioles are thick, often reddish brown.
Bunches
Medium to
large, conical, shouldered, fairly branched and loose. Wing bunches are :
prominent. The peduncle is long and thick, often red.
Berries
Large, long
oval to obovoid, yellowish green when ripe, with a light bloom. The skin is
thin but tough. The pulp is hard, juicy and sweet, with a pronounced muscat
taste.
PHENOLOGY
Bud burst
Second half
of September.
Flowering
Approximately
the middle of November.
Ripening
Late, end of
March (10 to 12 days later than Colombar).
*Grape Cultivars for Wine Production in South Africa - PG Goussard
