PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MALBEC VARIETY GROWN IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE ŠUMADIJA WINE-GROWING REGION

Abstract

Malbec is a grapevine variety used for the production of red wines. It is a newly introduced variety in Serbia with less-known production and oenological characteristics in the conditions of the Šumadija wine-growing region.
The study includes the analysis of the mechanical parameters of grapes and berries, chemical analysis of the grape juice, microvinification and physicochemical analysis of the wine produced. The average bunch weight was 184.7 g, with the total weight of all berries in the bunch averaging 165,1 g and the average rachis weight of 12,6 g. The grape juice had a sugar concentration of 23,6% and 6 g/l of total acids expressed as tartaric acid. The physicochemical analysis of the wine showed an alcohol content of 12,20% vol, a total extract of 22.10 g/l and 1700.0 mg GAE/l of total phenols. The color intensity was 0.942 and the nuance was 0.66, with red being dominant (49,57%), followed by yellow and blue (32.9 and 17.5% respectively).
It can be concluded that Malbec, as a newly introduced variety in the Šumadija region, delivers satisfactory results and has a pronounced oenological potential for producing top-quality colored wines.