Wine And Beer

Basic Information on Grape Growing and Wine Making

Juicy, sun-warmed, homegrown grapes are a real taste sensation. And once you've had your fill of fresh grapes, you can use the rest to make flavorful wines, juices, and jellies.Grapes are available in a variety of different types. The hardiest Vitis labrusca grapes are American, or fox, grapes, robust growers with rich flavor for fresh eating, jelly, or juice. Vitis vinifera grapes, also known as European wine grapes, are less hardy but produce top-quality wines. They are also good for fresh eating or drying. French-American hybrids combine the best traits of V. vinifera and various American species. Vitis rotundifolia or muscadine grapes grow into extra long vines that thrive in the heat and humidity of warm climate summers. Enjoy these grapes fresh or make them into jelly, juice, or wine.Best Climate and Site:You have to use cultivars appropriate for your area. Here is what you can expect.American Grapes: Most American grapes are hardy but are most reliable where winter low temperatures seldom reach -10 degrees F. They also grow best with a growing season of at least 165 to 180 frost-free days. This allows later-maturing grapes to ripen but is just as necessary for early-ripening cultivars.French-American Hybrids: These hybrids have a wide range of adaptability. Before you buy, check catalog descriptions to find those that are best suited to your particular climate and the length of your growing season. Also look for cultivars that are resistant to disease problems common in your area.Vinifera Grapes: These disease susceptible types are best in arid climates with perfect grape growing conditions. Look for cultivars that need a short winter rest period. For example, 'Cabernet Ruby needs only 50 chill hours; 'Thompson Seedless needs only 100 chill hours.Vitis rotundifolia or Muscadine grapes: Many cultivars have well-developed disease resistance and can withstand high humidity as well as high heat.All of these different kinds of grapes need full sun, good air circulation, and deep, well-drained garden soil. Avoid low spots and other sites prone to late spring frosts. Eliminate any wild grapes growing nearby; they can carry problems that might attack your cultivated grapes.Expanding Your Options You can choose from a variety of different grape types. The most popular table grapes are seedless and easy to eat. Some seedless cultivars include 'Seedless Concord', 'Mars', 'Canadice', and 'Reliance'. You also can dry seedless grapes into raisins; 'Delight', 'Flame Seedless', and 'Lakemont' are a few that are especially good. If you have room for several plants, choose early-, midseason-, and late ripening cultivars to extend your harvest season. Some early-ripening grapes include 'Baco Noir', 'Beta', 'Buffalo', and 'Cascade'. Midseason-maturing grapes include 'Chardonnay', 'Delaware', 'Niagara', 'Sauvignon Blanc', and 'Concord'. Late-ripening cultivars include 'Catawba', 'White Riesling', and 'Sheridan'.Choosing Your Plants Start with 1- year-old plants that are virus-indexed and certified disease-free. For many American and hybrid grapes, it's fine to buy cuttings grown on their own roots. But for vinifera grapes, you'll probably need plants grafted on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. Also look for cultivars that resist or tolerate the diseases that are most troublesome in your area.Be certain to read nursery catalog descriptions carefully to find out if a cultivar you're considering is self-fertile which means you can get fruit from just one plant. Most cultivars need cross- pollination with a second compatible cultivar to produce fruit.Planting and Care Before planting, set up a support system. You need to space American, hybrid, and vinifera grapes about 8 feet apart along the support, with 5 feet between rows. You also need to space muscadines up to 20 feet apart, with 12 feet between rows.On grafted grapes, set the graft union about 2 inches above the soil level. Set others at the same level they were growing before. After planting, you may want to let grapevine grow untrained for a year to develop a stronger set of roots. Pinch off grape flowers during that year. You'll start training the vine early the following spring.Keep the soil around your vines moist. After the first year or two, when vines are established, they usually don't need supplemental water. In fact, it's preferable to grow fruit-bearing wine grapes in dry conditions to encourage maximum flavor.It's important to mulch under the vines to control weeds. Feed with compost in spring. Vigorously growing muscadines may benefit from some nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as alfalfa meal, at bloom time. If your vines are growing too vigorously, plant cool-season annual cover crops, such as rye or winter wheat, around them to use up some of the extra nutrients.If your vine sets a heavy crop, thin out some of the clusters to minimize disease problems. While the fruits are still small and hard, remove some of the weakest clusters entirely. It's necessary to snip off some of the fruits in the remaining clusters to open up the bunches.Pruning and Training There are many different grape-training systems appropriate for different cultivars and needs. For example, in cold or disease-prone areas, you can start with two trunks per vine and train them on a V-shaped double trellis. That way, your plant will have another stem if one gets damaged. For vigorously growing vines, use a T-shaped trellis and let the longer side branches cascade over the top to get the maximum amount of light. Most grapes adapt equally well to different training systems.Harvesting Grapes are ready to harvest when they develop ripe color and sweet flavor. On most grapes, entire bunches will ripen simultaneously; harvest the clusters by clipping them off the vine. On muscadines, pick individual grapes as they ripen.Muscadine grapes have to be stored for a week or two in the refrigerator. Other grapes may last about 4 weeks. Freeze, dry, can, or make wine out of what you can't eat fresh.