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| Author: | J. van Balen |
Abstract:
Venezuela currently produces most of the wine and brandy consumed domestically from imported grapes and musts.
Although not a major wine consumer, 3000 ha of grapes would be required to supply all the country's needs.
A program of varietal testing was begun in 1977. FUSAGRI is currently testing approximately 25 cultivars, the most promising of which are French Colombar and Ugni Blanco.
Vines yield 2 to 12 kg of fruit per cycle (generally 2 cycles per year), with a mean of about 6 kg.
Some of the qualities being sought in the juice used for wine production are: soluble solids higher than 18° Brix, 6–9 g tartaric acid equivalents per liter, and a pH less than 3.5 (optimum at 3.2). Many of the cultivars under test are adequate in acidity, borderline in pH, but too low in soluble solids.
The high temperatures experienced in the Maracaibo area limit color development in red cultivars.
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