21 VINEYARDS

Grapes are a splendid gift of nature. They are the plant which is studied by a whole science known as ampelography. At the present time, in mid-Autumn it is the harvest time for this brightest of variety of sweet fruits characteristic of Azerbaijan.

The vineyard area

The natural and climatic conditions in Azerbaijan have created favourable conditions for the growing and cultivation of different varieties of grapes. The earliest ripening ones, which can be kept for a long time, the most sugary and high-yielding variety are grown precisely here in our parts.

Viticulture was developed on the territory of Azerbaijan back in ancient times, which has been confirmed by numerous historical data. Thus, during archaeological excavations carried out near Aqstafa district, in the environs of Shomutepe (an historic monument dating from the 5,000-4,000 BC), specimens of various plant cultures were found, including grape seeds. These finds testified to the fact that Azerbaijan has a history of viticulturegoing back at least 7,000 years. This fact was also confirmed by the Italian scholar, archaeologist and palaeontologist Lorenzo Constantini, who carried out studies of the wild flora in the regions around the Caspian Sea, including Azerbaijan, and discovered cultivated grape seeds in the environs of Shomutepe. For many centuries viticulture was the leading branch of agriculture in Azerbaijan and one of the main sources of the people's economic wealth. The development of viticulture attained its height in the 1970s to the beginning of the 1980s. The overall area covered by vineyards in Azerbaijan in that period reached 286,000 ha and the gross harvest averaged 1.5-2.1m tonnes per year.

The largest vine-growing area was situated in the valley of the river Kura, stretching from Ganca to Aqstafa and further to the west. This area, which needed to be irrigated,provided grapes for the mass production of ordinary wines. The main varieties of grapes were white Bayanshir and red Takveri grapes. White and red table wines were made from them, and fortified and dessert wines like port, kagor and others were produced from the later grape harvest.

But the former USSR government's decree "On measures to combat alcoholism and drunkenness" put an end to the boom in this sector in the country. As a result of the implementation of this decree, 130,000 ha of vineyards were uprooted in Azerbaijan. After the collapse of the Soviet state, along with the war in Nagornyy Karabakh and the economic upheavals, only 20,000 ha of vineyards are left in Azerbaijan.

Planned work to study Azerbaijani varieties of grapes began from the end of 2003. Descriptions were compiled of the varieties discovered. Cuttings were taken to plant in collections. As a result of the work conducted in the country more than 450 local varieties of grapes were discovered. Varieties like Bayansir, Xindogni and Madrasa are widely cultivated, not only in our country, but in the countries of Central Asia, the Crimea and other areas: Ag Sani goes under the name Kazbinka in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions of the Russian Federation; Tabrizi (Ganca dessert grapes) in Moldova, Ukraine and in some regions of Russia. 

Within the framework of the Azerbaijani state programme for the development of viticulture in 2012-2020, quite large sums have been allocated to viticulture and viniculture, and the sector is improvingits indices, albeit slowly. The area planted with vineyards is being expanded; in the Ganca-Tovuz zone alone more than 10,000 ha of grapevines have been planted; the seedlings have been brought in from France.

Besides this, a network of facilities has been set up to take in the grapes and process them. New enterprises are under construction, and state-of-the-art wine producing technology is being installed.

The best varieties in the world

The range of grape varieties in Azerbaijan is one of the widest in the world. With the help of Italian colleagues, scientific institutions are trying to gather together and preserve the invaluable assortment of original local varieties, many of which it is simply time to register in the Red Book [of endangered flora]. Unique collections have been created where some varieties are only represented by three to five vines.The varieties cultivated by Azerbaijani vine growers, were adapted to the special features of the soil and the natural conditions found in individual zones 

These varieties were given names corresponding to their various qualities: according to their colour (black, white, yellow, sarigila and so forth), according to their quality, their flavour, their aroma (gilabi, kismis, sakari and so forth), the appearance and size of the fruit (qusurayi, misqali, Tulkuquyrugu and so forth), the thickness of the skin (das uzum, qalinqabig, nazikqabig), the size of the seeds and the shape of the bunch (sapda-durmaz, xacabas, bandi, teberze). Some varieties of grapes were named after villages, towns districts: "Beylagani", "Tabrizi", "Sabrani", "Darbandi", "Ordubadi", "Sirvansahi", "Tatli" and so forth. Some varieties were named after the people who had cultivated them: "Xalili", "Huseyni", "Askari", "Sakina xanim" "Muxtari" and others.

As a result of the historical and economic contacts that had taken shape, some varieties of grapes were imported into Azerbaijan. It is interesting that they boasted the name of the place from which they had been brought. For instance, in the 7th to 9th centuries, during the invasion of the Arabs from Egypt a variety of grapes was taken to Central Asia which was grown around the city of Taif, from whence it came to Azerbaijan. People knew of it as the "Taifi" variety from Central Asia.

The vine growers of Azerbaijan learnt to cultivate new varieties of grapes brought from other countries, adapting them to the local climatic conditions. The "Rkatsitel" and "Takveri" varieties were brought here from Georgia; "Muscat", "Berdo", and "Pinot" came from Crimea; in the mid-19th century the "Cabernet", "Izabella", "Riesling", "Aligote" and others were brought from Europe. At the same time, some valuable varieties of grapes from Azerbaijan were in their turn exported to Central Asia, Crimea, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and other countries where they were successfully cultivated.

The grapes from the Absheron peninsula require separate mention. On Abseron the vines grow in sand and are like creepers. More than 50 varieties of grape are grown on Abseron, but the main ones are "Ag sani", "Qara-sani", "Ala sani", "Sarigila", "Xatin", "Pishraz", "Geybandam", "Pis-baba", "Xalbesar", "Ganlinbar-maki", "Keciyemcei", "Qizil uzum", "Kismis", "Movucu", "Darbandi", "Salyani" "Zabrat". Unlike other regions, on Absheron many varieties have been preserved, since there were no commercial-scale vineyards there. At the present time, all these varieties can be found in the plots of land attached to dwellings. It is interesting that "Sani" has a higher sugar content than all the other varieties. This is connected first and foremost with the soil and climatic conditions on Abseron, as well as with the complex of micro-elements in the "golden sand" found in that region.

Nutritious, tasty, sweet

As far as medicinal properties are concerned, the grape is an excellent general fortifying and tonic remedy. Its fruit contains sugar, cellulose, organic acids, ascorbic acid [vitamin C], vitamin B, pectin-containing substances, micro-elements and enzymes. It has been established that the grape has a stimulating effect on the bone marrow, and helps to boost the functions of the blood-forming organs.

Grapes are a good source of potassium. A glass of grape juice contains the daily intake of B-group vitamins. Grapes contain a fairly large amount of vitamin C, which is absorbed especially well thanks to the considerable amount of vitamin Palso contained in them. Grapes and grape juice are recommended for people suffering from ailments of the gastro-intestinal tract; they are beneficial to those suffering from severe inflammation of the respiratory tracts, bronchial asthma and pleurisy. Grapes or grape juice are an efficacious remedy in treating many of the diseases of the cardio-vascular system.

When selecting grapes, you need to bear in mind that brown spots and pigmentation on them by no means indicate that they are of poor quality. The only thing you need to do is to ensure that they have not been damaged. A whitish deposit can appear on the skin of the grape. The variety of grape that has a thick skin and dense flesh, as well as loose bunches, keeps better. Dark-skinned grapes do not last any longer than white ones. Grapes also contain acids, pectin, vitamins B1, and B2, and C, micro-elements, tannic and colouring substances. They contain many sugars, especially glucose. It is not accidental that the compound noun "grape sugar" is a synonym for the term "glucose". Since glucose is readily absorbed by the body, a grape diet is specially prescribed in the case of some diseases.

The Azerbaijani author Yusif ibn Ismail Khoyi wrote the following about the grape in the year 1311: "Grapes enrich the body, purify the blood and have a blood-forming effect. Besides this, the grape brings benefit to the lungs and has a bile-expelling effect. But, if you eat too many of them, they are poorly digested, harm the stomach and produce gases. For maximum digestion, it is recommended that they be eaten with caraway seeds and fennel, as well as with every possible acidic and spicy seasoning. You should not drink cold water after eating grapes. It is best of all to consume the grapes within two days of picking them and in the interval between two meals (for example, between breakfast and lunch).A powder is prepared from the ashes of the grape seed, which is used externally on wounds, as an eye treatment."

Muhammed Yusif Sirvani wrote in the "Tibbnama" (1712): "The devout Prophet - Peace be upon him! - said the following about dried grapes: the seeds of the red grape can cause discomfort, while the flesh is a remedy. If anyone eats 21 red grapes without stones every day, he will be spared all the painful diseases and ailments that might afflict his body and will not suffer from others. It has been tried and tested."

Of the 20,000 varieties of grape known in the world, only a few are considered to have medicinal properties. The best medicinal varieties of grapes can be regarded as "Tabrizi". The dark yellow, amber-coloured "Xazari" and "Kismisi", which grow in Naxcivan, are a remedy for many diseases, boost the working of the heart and fortify the body of the patient. The "Safei" variety, which is also grown in that area, is a remedy in the direct sense of the word. This grape fortifies patients with a weak constitution and helps in cases of anaemia and poor eyesight.

Raisins

Raisins or dried grapes are mostly used for culinary purposes in Azerbaijan. These are one of the most nutritious varieties of dried fruits and are in great demand. They preserve practically all the beneficial properties of the fresh grape - 70 to 80 per cent of the vitamins and 100 per cent of the micro-elements.

From time immemorial the ability of the grape to fortify the nervous system and act as a tranquiliser has been valued. The heart and lungs can also benefit from the medicinal effect of the dried grape. Doctors recommend that raisins should be consumed to combat anaemia and general weakness, fever and disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract, and in cases of heart and kidney diseases. 

Thus, the concentration of beneficial substances in them is several times higher than in the fresh grape, so one should avoid excessive consumption of them. This recommendation does moreover apply to all dried fruits. They are counter-indicated in cases of diabetes, gastric and intestinal ulcers, mouth ulcers, enterocolitis, the active form of tuberculosis of the lungs and obesity.

THAT'S INTERESTING

When the troops of Alexander the Great besieged the city of Barda, according to the agreement with the female ruler Nusaba, part of the tax levied on the local population was replaced by wine.

Merchants and travellers exported the best varieties of grapes to distant lands. The geographer and traveller Adam Olearius [1603-1671] writes that the first grape vines were brought to Astrakhan by Azerbaijani merchants, and, to be more exact, by merchants from Shirvan. In his recollections of Azerbaijan he describes the various varieties grown and indicates that there were approximately 600 varieties of grapes.

PREPARING RAISINS

It is not at all difficult to make high-quality raisins at home. It is best to use table or kish-mish varieties of grapes for drying, which have an excellent high sugar content. You just need to make sure that the grapes are quite ripe, so that they have accumulated a sufficient content of sugars. The most common method of drying them is naturally in the sun or in the shade or in the oven.

The bunches of table or kish-mish varieties of grapes prepared for drying should first be blanched. This is done by immersing them in a solution of (0.5 per cent) baking soda, which has been heated to 95-97 degrees C. After this treatment, numerous very small cracks will appear on the grape skins through which the moisture will evaporate. The bunches of grapes should then be washed with clean water and laid out on a tray. Then put them into a cold oven, where they should be kept for approximately 10 hours at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. The oven door should ideally be kept slightly open so that the moisture can evaporate. Then the temperature should be turned down to 30 degrees and the grapes dried for approximately another 10 hours until they are ready.