Bastardo Magarachskii

Bastardo Magarachskii is a black variety bred by N. Paponov and V. Zotov at the Magarach institute in Crimea; VIVC (1028) gives its parents as Bastardo (Trousseau Noir) × Saperavi, confirmed by DNA markers, and lists the synonym Magarach 217. It was approved for Ukraine and Moldova in 1949. The berries are medium-sized, oval and dark blue under a dense bloom; the vine ripens mid-late, some 145–155 days from budburst, and yields well. It is used for dry and semi-sweet reds, dessert and fortified wines of deep garnet colour, and often as a blending component. Moldova had about 180 ha in 2016; Rădăcini bottles it as a single variety in its Aparté range.