General description: The Zilga grapevine is a fast-growing variety, resistant to frost and diseases. It bears fruit abundantly and regularly, and its grapes taste of blueberries and cherries. It’s an undemanding vine that tolerates drought and is highly frost-resistant, withstanding temperatures of down to -40°C. It was created by cross-breeding the Russian varieties "Smuglyanka" and "Anniversary Novgorod" with the Latvian "Dvietes".

Fruit: Zilga’s grape bunches are medium-sized with a cylindrical-conical shape and loosely set. Its fruit are big, round, with a purplish-pink skin and greenish-white juicy flesh. Their taste is often described as cherry-like with a blueberry aftertaste. Zilga’s grapes are rich in into potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and boron. It bears fruit 4/5 years after planting.

Ripening: Zilga grapes ripen very early – they mature as early as late August. This grapevine produces a high yield - up to 12 kilograms of fruit per vine. Its grapes hang from lengthy stalks for a long time, bathing in the summer sun. The longer they stay on the vine, the sweeter they become.

Leaves: This variety’s leaves are large, lobed and light green. In autumn they turn an intense yellow colour with pink splotches which makes the Zilga variety an attractive, very decorative addition to any garden.

Cultivation requirements: This grapevine requires a sunny and warm location. It prefers light, well-drained soil, and doesn’t like heavy, wet substrates. It grows and bears fruit best in slightly acidic soils. It can be cultivated throughout temperate climes, even in areas with a climate unfavourable for other grape varieties. Seedlings should be planted every 1-1.5 meters, 10-15 cm deeper than in the pot they came in. Very small seedlings should be planted in a shallow hole and only covered wholly with soil in autumn. This significantly increases the frost resistance of grapevines and increases the efficiency of watering freshly planted vines.

Care: Zilga tolerates drought, but nonetheless should be watered regularly to produce large quantities of fruit. To build a powerful root system, grapevines need a lot of water. Caring for a newly planted seedling is basically limited to systematic watering. It is especially important to pay attention to watering in early summer and as the grapes ripen. Each young vine requires up to three buckets of water per watering.

Pruning: In the first year after planting, it’s recommended to keep only one to three stems. In the following years, trimming depends on how the vine is to be shaped. Thinning out, in order to obtain high quality fruit, is advised. This shrub grows vigorously and is suitable for forming into the shape of a tall pergola. It thickens fast and may require careful pruning in summer as it produces many fresh shoots in the warmer months. Generally, stems should be pruned to a moderate length and care should be taken whilst selecting which stems and shoots are to be cut, to leave well-fruiting ones on the plant. It is best to leave pruning until late autumn and winter (well before the beginning of vegetation), although, as mentioned, trimming in summer helps control expansion and should be done after new shoots are partially lignified.

Props: This grapevine is perfect for growing on all kinds of trellises, fences, pergolas and arbours, but also works great as a cover for high fences and acoustic screens.

Overwintering: Zilga withstands temperature drops of down to -40°C, however it is recommended to protect the plant for the winter (for e.g., by using agrotextiles). At the beginning of November, cover young seedlings by piling a mound of soil with peat about 30 cm in height over the plants.

Origin: Latvia.