Growing Wine Grapes: Advice for the Aspiring Wine Maker
How many people don’t enjoy a good glass of wine? Okay, there may be a few out there. But for those of us who do, there’s nothing like that first pop of the cork to get the taste buds firing. This appreciation for wine has lead many into the world of wine making. Now before you jump the gun and run off to buy your first wine making book, you need to get the grapes. Growing wine grapes is the only true way to immerse yourself in the world of wine making. It is, after all, the very first step.
Before you can even think of planting your first grape vine, you need to figure out what type of grape you’re going to start growing. Each strain of wine grape has its own characteristics which can affect the flavor and taste of the wine. Some impart a hint if sweetness, while others can be musky. Most wine makers prefer members of the family Vitis vinifera, which are grapes of Europian ancestry. That is not to say that you can’t pick other types. Another good choice is the family of Vitis Labrusca, which is more prevalent in North America.
Warmer areas tend to use the European varieties. You also have available at your disposal various hybrid varieties. These grape vines are the product of cross breeding two Vitis spp. and have had hardiness to low temperatures and resistance to disease bred into them. They are a preference for many growers in areas where there is a shorter growing season.
Successfully growing wine grapes is dependent on making the right choice of grape variety based on your climate. The conditions that the grape vines are subjected to will influence the quality of the grapes and this will in turn affect the quality of the wine. Any form of an extreme, be it temperature, humidity or rainfall can destroy an entire fruit crop. In an ideal situation, you’ll face moderates in most of the environmental factors. This includes the soil where you’ll want something that retains enough moisture but also allows adequate drainage to avoid water logging.
Cold temperatures can lead to frost, and frost is often a grape vine’s worst enemy. If you’ll be growing wine grapes in a low lying area, this is something that you’ll more than likely have to contend with at some point. Even warmer regions such as California and Florida are prone to frost, especially if the rest of the country is experiencing a bad winter. Avoid shade wherever possible since grape vines a lot of sunlight for proper ripening of fruit. In addition, trees tend to not only harbor animals which can damage your vines but they also compete for valuable nutrients.
Of course, if you’re growing wine grapes, you’ll need something for them to grow on. This can be something as simple as using wires to contain and shape the vines, to building an elaborate trellis. If you prefer to go for aesthetics and you’re not growing wine grapes on a commercial scale, you can use one of the large canopy frames. This allows the grape vines to spread over a larger area, and the hanging bunches of grapes are simply gorgeous.
After all of this, you may be wondering if growing wine grapes is worth all the effort. It most assuredly is. The biggest hurdle to overcome is finding the right site. Once you have that out of the way, half of the battle is already won. Pick, buy and grow a resilient grape vine variety and you’ll have a very good chance of being successful. While looking for grape vines for sale there’s always advice available on how to plant your vine and how to take care of it.
Tags: fruit, grape vine, grape vines, grape vines for sale, growing grapes, growing wine grapes, hybrid varieties, wine, wine grapes
Leave a Reply