Description
Senator is a red table grape from Evgeny Pavlovsky, an amateur breeder from Novoshakhtinsk in southern Russia. Its mother is Podarok Zaporozhyu; the father is given as PG-12 in one source and as Shokoladny in another. It ripens early-mid season, and its large bunches carry very large, oval, dark red berries with meaty, juicy flesh and a distinct muscat flavour. Another, unrelated grape called Senator comes from the breeder Burdak, so check the breeder's name when buying.
Characteristics
Dark red table grape; early-mid ripening (late August to early September in southern Russia); large conical bunches of about 700 to 1,500 g, medium-dense to dense; very large oval berries of about 10 to 15 g; meaty, juicy flesh; muscat flavour; vigorous; bisexual flowers; travels well; moderate disease resistance
Growing Tips
Senator is vigorous and its bunches can be fairly dense, so in wet weather some berries may crack or rot; thin the bunch zone and avoid overloading the vine. Its disease resistance is moderate, so keep a regular spray routine. Winter hardiness is given as about −23 °C, so cover the vine in colder regions.