Madrasa ( az, Mədrəsə, also known as Matrassa and Madrasi) is a pink-skinned red

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

cultivated in the southern Caucasus at least since the nineteenth century, in particular in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

, as well as several

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

countries. Most plantings of Madrasa are found near the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

and

.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 104 Oxford University Press 1996

Origins and specifics

Madrasa is indigenous to the village of

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, located in Shamakhi Rayon, Azerbaijan. This variety falls into the sweet grape category. It is claimed that Madrasa was grown as early as the 15th century. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Madrasa variety was brought to the Ganjabasar region of Azerbaijan. The

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

s are midsize, and have strong roots and sharp leaves. The grapes are round and thick-skinned. Madrasa grapes mature in the beginning of September in

Shamakhi Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving it ...

, and in August in Ganja. The concentration of sugar ranges from 23-24% in Shamakhi and 20-21% in Ganja.

Wines

During the crushing and fermentation, 50% of the spirit is recovered. Widely sold "Giz Galasi" ('' Maiden Tower''), "Yeddi Gozal" (''

Seven Beauties ''Seven Beauties'' ( it, Pasqualino Settebellezze, "Pasqualino Sevenbeauties") is a 1975 Italian language film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller and starring Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, and Shirley Stoler. Written by Wertmüller, the ...

''), "Gara Gila" and "Naznazi" wines are made from Madrasa. "Xan Madrasa" red table wine produced by

Vinagro Vinagro Limited Liability Company (LLC) is an alcoholic beverage producer in Azerbaijan established in March 2006. The company owns 537 hectares of vineyards growing various sorts of local and European grapes. Red varieties such as Merlot, Caber ...

is made by fermentation of Madrasa grape juice. The grapes are grown in Goygol and Samukh districts of Azerbaijan, and squashed for juice. The wine is then stored for two years. Its alcoholic content is 9-14%. Xan Madrasa was awarded 2 gold and 1 bronze medals at the

International Wine Contest A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages, categories, and/or brands of wine. Wine competitions generally use Blind wine tasting, blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the ...

Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...

Synonyms

Various synonyms have been used to describe Matrassa and its wines, including Chirai, Chirai kara, Kara Chirei, Kara Chirai, Kara Schirai, Kara Scirai, Kara Scirei, Kara Shirai, Kara Shirei, Madrasa, Matrasa, Matrasse, Sevi shirai, Shirai, Shirai kara, Shirei, Shirei kara and Sirei.

References

{{Wines Red wine grape varieties

Origins and specifics

Wines

Synonyms

See also

References