Grape Planting

The thing that most determines the taste of the wine is the quality of the grapes that are used to make it. Therefore the planting and growing process is a vital step in the wine making process.

What is true for real estate is true in planting your grapes vines; location. By giving your grapevines the best access to sunlight as possible aids in photosynthesis. That process fills the grapes with sugars which becomes alcohol after fermentation.

The type of soil that grapevines are planted in is also important to the health of the vine. You will also want to ensure that both sides of the vine get the same amount of sun. Grapevines do not like to sit in puddles or really wet areas.

Make sure there is good drainage whenever you plant your vines. Soil that is lacking in nutrients allows the vine to grow small grapes that are perfect for wine. There is no need to use compost or fertilizers on the soil. If the soil is so poor that it won’t even grow weeds on it, you can use some compost to grow your vines in.

Plant your vines about six feet apart and if you are going to be growing a large crop, the vines should be grown in rows that are eight feet wide. Each grapevine will produce about one gallon of wine.

You may loose some grapes due to a small crop or pests like insects or birds so you might want to plant extra grapevines depending on how much wine you would like to produce. Since it is a vine, you will need to supply a trellis for the grapevine to grow on.

Dig a larger then normal hole for the vines. This allows the soil to be loosened allowing for good drainage.

The first year that your grape vine is growing tie the strongest shoot to the trellis with a piece of string. String does not damage the shoot like wire could.

Clip any other shoots that grow from the roots. When the vine is in the dormant season you will need to once again prune your vine back. In the spring when the buds have begun to grow again, select the strongest shoots from the upright shoot and tie them loosely to the wire as they grow.

These shoots will become the arms of the vine where the grapes will grow in years to come.

When it comes time to harvest, it will be beneficial to purchase a hydrometer. It can be bought from a local winemaking supply shop. A Hydrometer measures the specific gravity of liquids.

It will tell you the sugar content of the berries. An ideal gravity is between 1.095 and 1.105, the latter being the better one. It is then time to harvest the grapes.

The process of growing grapes can take years in order to make wine but, with the right amount of effort the process is simple and well worth the reward you will receive in the end.

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One really good thing about grapes is that they grow on a vine and need a trellis in order to grow. Because of this space is not an issue. People can grow grapes in their backyards with only a small amount of space just as well as vineyards can on a few hundred acres of property.

Vines are not strong enough to support themselves and therefore need a trellis for support. The way a trellis looks depends upon the person who is growing the grapevine.

It can be very decorative or it can strictly be functional. A trellis can come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the needs of the grape grower and it can be made out of a variety of materials including iron, pre-treated wood, stainless steel, PVC pipe, or aluminum.

It can be purchased or a simple functional design can be fairly easily constructed by hand. Although grapevines can be grown in a yard, they are a fairly large plant. You will need a space of about eight feet by eight feet for one vine.

A trellis should be constructed before the vine is planted into the ground. Normally, taller trellises are used in warmer climates. A trellis that is shorter has a better chance withstanding winter weather and makes it easier to prepare the grapevine for winter. Shorter trellises use posts that are about three feet high. Larger trellises require a post that is about eight feet high.

Planning where your trellis is going to be should be considered before you start digging holes to place the poles into. You have mapped out your sight place the first post about two feet into the ground.

Taller eight foot posts will be sticking about six feet out of the ground. It is suggested to cement the post into the ground. It takes several years before you will see a crop of grapes so; this trellis is going to be a permanent fixture for some time. Posts can also be secured by using catch wires anchored to the ground or another much shorter post set in the ground next to your main post.

Posts are set into the ground at a distance of eight feet apart. Two rows of galvanized steel wire need to be run between the posts. The first row runs along the bottom of the posts about three inches from the ground. The second wire should run along the top of the posts. Use a staple gun to staple the wires in place.

Purchasing a trellis for your grapevine is also an option that a lot of grape growers explore when looking to grow a small crop of grapes. The investment is more but you options are open. Just make sure to have good planning and have taken careful measurements as to where you would like your trellis to be to ensure that you buy a trellis that is right for you.

When your vine is planted and it begins to grow it will grow up along the two main trellis wires with some coaxing on your part. You can use string or cloth to tie the vine to the wires. Using more wire to tie the shoot in place can sometimes damage the shoot.

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Easy Wine Making

The basic concept of how wine is produced is for the most part, is common knowledge. We all know that grapes are squished and fermented for a period of time to turn into wine. But, the process of making wine is an art that is reserved for those who put in the effort.

It takes about fifty pounds of good, rip grapes to produce about five gallons of terrific wine. Materials like plastic vats large enough to accommodate grapes can be purchased from your local wine supply shop.

Click Here for the Ultimate Guide To Wine Making

Once the grapes are harvested you’ll need to place the grape clusters into the vat and crush them. The age old method of crushing the grapes by foot has not been surpassed by technology.

But, for smaller vats, grapes can be crushed by hand or with a potato masher. Both work equally as well as the foot. The vat should be no more than two-thirds full when all of the grapes are crushed. Unwanted yeast can produce premature fermentation.

You will need to add the appropriate amount of Campden tablets which is pre-measured amounts of potassium metabisulfite to the grapes to stop this unwanted yeast growth. Cover the vat with a towel and allow it to sit for a day.

The day after you have crushed the grapes you’ll need to add a packet of wine yeast. Bread yeast and wine yeast are two different yeasts and should not be substituted for each other.

Montrachet and prix de mousse are common types of yeast used to ferment wine. The crushed grapes at this stage are known as the must. Use your hands to stir in the yeast.

Comb through the must and remove the cluster of stems. Squeeze off any of the berries that may still be attached to the stems. Only a few stems can be left in the must.

Cover the vat of must with a towel and set to the side. In about one or two days the must will begin to fizz. By the third day the must will appear to be boiling. Within a week the fizzing will subside and it is time to separate the wine from the leftover seeds, grape skins, and pulp. The mixture can be poured into mesh bags or cheese clothes.

It then needs to be squeezed, strained and poured into a glass carboy, also available at winemaking shops, or poured into an empty wine barrel. From this moment on the wine should no longer come into contact with the air. An airlock can be used with a carboy or a barrel. An airlock prevents air from getting into the container but allows gas to escape.

It only takes about two to three weeks in the container for all of the fizzing to subside. At this point, you will need to rack the wine. Racking is the process that removes the wine from the lees which is the spent yeast and grape bits that have fallen to the bottom of the barrel.

You can use a hose to siphon the clear wine into a carboy and clean out the lees from the old container. Then pour the wine back into the original container. After about two to three months the wine is ready for a second racking.

Three to four months after that, do a third and final racking. Wine can be aged in a cool completely dark place. It is also important to top off the barrel. This can be done by using a similar wine. At this point, the wine is able to be tasted but, the longer a wine ages, the better it is.

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Pruning Grapes

Growing grapes that are going to be made into wine has been a long tradition in vineyards, backyard gardens, and all throughout history. It takes work and dedication to maintain a grapevine.

Like most plants, they need weeding, pest control and pruning in order to receive a good harvest. It can take up to three years for a grapevine to produce any grapes on it.

During this time the vine needs careful maintenance and attention through pruning. Pruning is simply getting the plant growth to encourage more growth.

Grapevines have to be trained to maintain plant size, shape, and productivity. They also take years to train. After the trellis is erected and the vine is planted the grapevine begins to take shape.

Vines are allowed to grow from one strong shoot directly from the roots. Any other shoots that grow from the roots are clipped back. The main shoot is tied vertically to the trellis.

After the next dormant period growers will need to develop the arms of the vine. Two shoots on either side of the main shoot are tied horizontally to the trellis and will serve as the base for the fruit or the arms.

All other shoots are trimmed back and not allowed to grow. After the basic shape of the vine is shaped the pruning of the vine continues during the dormant periods. Pruning during dormant states throughout the life of the vine is a critical component in the production of grapes.

The way that the grapevine is pruned is based a lot on the type of grapes that are grown on it. Hybrid varieties were developed to be hardier during the winter and more resistant to diseases. They tend to produce less foliage then the traditional types of grapevines.

The annual pruning removes the previous years fruiting canes or spurs. Because fruit is only produced on shoots growing from one-year-old canes, healthy new canes must be produced by the vine every year.

Pruning can also reduce the crop production by removing the fruitful buds. By varying the amount that is pruned back will influence the crop level. If too much is pruned back, more shoots will grow on the vine which in turn produces more of a crop and more foliage.

The more foliage on a vine results in a shady canopy which provides a poor environment for the grapes to ripen.

Hand tools like loppers, hand pruners, and handsaws are typically used to prune grapevines. The goal for the grapevine owner is to avoid unnecessary injury to the plant.

Most likely, when removing shoots that are one-year-old, hand pruners can be used effectively. On the other hand, larger wood should be cut with either the lopper or a handsaw.

The desire to grow grapes results in the necessary steps of getting down into the dirt and getting dirty. Pruning is a relatively simple concept in which grapevine growers seem to grasp quickly.

The time and dedication over the years results in a healthy and plentiful crop.

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Vineyard Grapes Pest Control

There are several different types of pests that threaten a grapevine. Types of pests include disease, insects or even birds and deer.

Common diseases for grapevines can be mildew, black rot, phomopsis cane and leaf spot, and fungus. A list of symptoms will be noticeable if the vine does come down with a disease.

Common symptoms are discoloration of the vines leaves, a film covering the leaves, lesions covering the leaves, or the decay of berries. If your grapevine does come down with a disease a fungicide can used to clear up the problem.

But, a sufficient amount of research needs to be completed by the grapevine owner n order to figure out which is the best solution for them.
There are a ton of insects just waiting to engross themselves in your hard work.

Grape berry moths lay their eggs directly on the surface of the grapes. The larva then hatches and bore into the berries leaving behind small holes and webbing between berries indicating a problem. Grape leafhoppers are insect that feed on the undersides of the leaves.

Fortunately only extremely high populations of this insect can cause damage to the crop. The Japanese beetle continues to expand its distribution within the United States.

They can seriously reduce the productivity of the vine. Rose chafers are a large beetle that feed directly on the clusters of grapes. On average, grapevines can withstand low to moderate levels of insect damage.

Most of the time, it is only necessary to control insects when they threaten a large portion of the leaf area or the fruit itself. Insecticides can be used to control insect infestation.

The damage that birds can inflict on a small crop of grapes can be devastating. Surprisingly, a large flock of birds is easier to scare then individual birds.

One option to consider if you are finding that birds are a problem is to place a physical barrier over the crop. This netting will last about thirty months but should be taken off before winter for fear ice will form on it and damage the vine.

Because grapevines grow on a trellis, using a net is realistic and easy to install. Visual repellents can also be used and very easy to install. There are cannons on the market that can be set on timers to give a loud blast at certain intervals to scare birds away during feeding times.

But, if you are a grape grower that is using their backyard as the sight to grow the grapes, loud cannon sounds can cause more problems then they solve primarily with annoyed neighbors. Visual repellents are quiet and simple such as aluminum pie plates. It can also be artificial hawks, owls, or snakes.

Deer are also a pest to grapevines particularly in early spring when shoots are just emerging and food sources for the deer are scarce. Odor repellents are extremely effective when it comes to controlling deer. Grape growers can use the scent of human or dg hair or soap.

Since coyote are natural predators to deer, using the scent of coyotes can also be highly effective.

With all of the dedication and hard work it takes to produce a grape crop, preventing pests from ruining it should be a high priority.

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Grape Growing and Wine Making

The history of growing grapes and making wine is almost as old as humans themselves. It is a process that was seen all over the world in all of the major civilizations. In today’s society, growing grapes and making wine is just as rewarding and is well worth the effort.

Before you can enjoy that first glass of wine, you will have to grow the grapes.

There are two different grape varieties groups to choose from when you are first beginning to plant your grapevine; the European grape varieties and the hybrids.

Traditional grape growing in areas like California most likely use the European varieties. Those who live in areas where there is a shorter growing season are limited to the hybrid grape varieties.

Hardiness through winter and resistance to disease has been bred into the hybrid grapes. We all know that wine is offered in either wine or red so, this is also something to consider when thinking about what kinds of grapes to grow.

The most important thing to remember about growing grapes is that they are perennial plants and therefore it will be about three years before you are able to harvest your first crop.

But, some good news is that the quality does not reflect on the winemaker but on the grapevines. You will have to offer your grapevines a proper growing site, access to full sunlight and nutrient-poor soil. If grapes are grown in nutrient-poor soil that is dry it will stress out the vine. Stressing out the vine will cause it to produce small grapes.

Winemakers depend on small grapes because the skin of the grapes contains all of the color and flavor which is what you need for wine. Larger berries that are appetizing to eat contain less skin and more juice.
When it is time to harvest your grapes, you will need to start off with fully ripe and disease free grapes.

Most hybrid grapes are high in acidity. Because of this, you will need to purchase chemicals from a local wine making store to bring the acidity down to the proper levels before you add the yeast.

When you are ready to ferment the grapes you will have to add yeast. There are different yeasts available for your wine. They will add subtle flavors or characteristics to the wine.

Fermentation takes about a week and then it is ready to age. Ageing can take several months to a few years to complete. Once the wine is crystal clear you can bottle it and the wine then sits again for a few months aging during this step also.

It is also common knowledge that the longer you allow your wine to age, the better it will be. Corks and wine bottles can also be purchased from you local wine store.

This age old tradition is well worth the time and effort. When the time is right to open that first bottle made especially by you, friends and family will line to be amazed and admire your newly acquired skill.

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