Mavro (, meaning "black") is an indigenous red
grape cultivated on the island of
Cyprus. The grape takes its name from its dark colour. The Italian ampelographer, Count Giuseppe di Rovasenda refers to it in 1877 as Cipro Nero
(Cyprus black) page 454, Larousse Encyclopaedia of Wine by Christopher Foulkes, ISBN 0-600-60475-6.. Of note is that Mavro continues to grow on ancient rootstock unlike most mainland European grapes that are grafted on North American rootstock. This is a consequence of Cyprus’ escape from the
phylloxera epidemic that had devastated most other European vineyards, in the 19th century.
Mavrud is a Bulgarian wine with a similar name made from mavrud grapes. Recent genotyping has shown that these two varieties (Mavro and Mavrud) are not related .
Mavro grapes are used in the production of several (predominantly red) local wines. Most notably however, Mavro is blended with the
Xynisteri grape for the production of
Commandaria, a well-known Cypriot
dessert wine. It is also used in the production of the spirit
zivania .
Harvesting usually takes place in September.
References
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