| Moderated by: Steve Adkins | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
blessingsalways2u Member 
|
Hi Group, Anyone out there grow grapes for wine? Not muscadine type but other varieties. We have some extra land and were thinking about putting something on it. Thanks, blessings |
|||||||||||
|
Vicki White-Lawrence Member 
|
Blessings, My husband, Scott, who is also a contributer to the forum, (mostly on the gardening thread) has grown grapes and made wine for more than 35 years.... I will make sure he sees your request. He consults with people who are establishing vineyards, helping them know how to best use the land they have, what grapes would grow best, etc. In fact, he is out right now picking grapes from vines that were knocked down during that awful storm that passed thru Summerfield Wednesday evening. |
|||||||||||
|
blessingsalways2u Member
|
COOL Vicky, You are an answer to prayer. I was hoping to meet someone who could advice us. I am researching myself online and with the NC Grape Council but I always feel talking to experienced people is your best resource. If he is interested in talking please send me a private message and we can get in touch with one another. Thanks, blessings |
|||||||||||
|
ff12 Member 
|
Read where the Yadkin valley grape growers assoc. were very concerned about how far grape prices have fallen this year due to overproduction. Last year grapes were 1000 to 1200 dollars per ton this year down to 400 per ton. |
|||||||||||
|
blessingsalways2u Member
|
That is why I am doing research |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member 
|
This area has a very long history of grape growing. Back in the mid 1800s there was a fruit nursery in the Guilford College area that sold grapes for eating and winemaking throughout the Southeast. Some of the varieties include Lenior and Catauba which are still grown today by a few amateur growers. From the 1930s through the 1960s Dr. Robert Dunston, a professor at Greensboro College maintained a vineyard northwest of Greensboro, the lociation of which I am attempting to determine. He visiited France on several occasions and brought back hybrid grapes that were more resistent to many of our diseases. He also one of the first to breed crosses of our "bunch grapes" with muscadines. A friend of mine in Hillsborough uses his material to breed seedless eating grapes, none of which have been released, although many are better than the NY varieties sold by nurseries. I first grew winegrapes here in 1974, after being told by Extension Agents and NC State"Experts" that only muscadines would grow here. I successfully grow Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and others which I use to make wine myself and to sell to home winemakers. Prices go up and down like for any agricultural commodity so its no big deal that prices are down for the moment. Grapegrowing is fun but I would not depend on it for my major source of income. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
Jim Flynt Member
|
Edited by Poster. Last edited on Aug 5th, 2007 11:46 am by Jim Flynt |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
A Winery Coop in the Yadkin area closed shop and was bought out by an individual. This left most of the coop members without a source for their grapes. The oversupply in that area has naturally suppressed prices. This kind of thing is normal for any agricultural commodity. I've grown winegrapes in Guilford and Rockingham County for 35 years with very few vine losses through all kinds of conditions. Growers in the Yadkin/Surry area act like they are onto something new but winegrape growing has history here in Northwest Guilford that goes back at least 150 years. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
Jim, I am sure that governmental regulations would prohibit a winery in downtown Stokesdale although we could plant some seedless eating grapes in the arboritum for citizens to enjoy. If somebody wanted to pick them to make wine for the Council our Deputy probably wouldnt stop them. I would be happy to talk to anybody here about the pros and cons of growiing grapes in Stokesdale. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
Jim Flynt Member
|
Edited by Poster. Last edited on Aug 5th, 2007 11:46 am by Jim Flynt |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
Jim, One I use is Grafted Grapevine Nursery in New York. I also use Vintage Nursery in California but with slightly less success. The minimum order is typically 25 vines without paying a rediculous price. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
ff12 Member
|
What about grapes for just plain eating or grape juice? |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
I propogate a few locally bred seedless grapes for people who want to plant just a few for their own use. They have some disease resistence. Foster Grapevines is a source for larger quantities and they carry both eating and juice grapes. A relatively new one from Arkansas that does fairly well is named "Jupiter". Pretty much all grapes except for Muscadines required at least some spraying of fungicides during the Spring and Summer when grown here. All efforts to grow "bunch grapes" here organically have failed thus far. |
|||||||||||
|
Skiddles Member 
|
Okay where did this come from..  Steve don't kill the grapes! I'm interested in the grape thingy now. |
|||||||||||
|
blessingsalways2u Member
|
Skiddles, it seems to a very interesting topic. We are thinking about planting some. |
|||||||||||
|
Skiddles Member
|
I have been thinking about different options for sitting land. We have some land around here in Guilford County and some in VA, close to Chateau Morrisette winery ~ Fun place by the way. Is there a co-op of some kind with growing grapes? |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
I don't know of any vineyard coops only winery coops. The winery ones have not been very successful either in North Carolina or Virginia. I would think that vineyard coops would only work in established wine regions unless one could find a very rich person who is planning on building a winery without an associated vineyard. Then maybe a small number of people could together enter into a long term contract with the winery. Vineyards typically require 8-10 years before making a profit because of the establishment costs ($6000-10000/acre). Most grape varieties that grow well here are presently in oversupply (e.g Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc There are knitch (sp?) varieties that one could plant but they are less well known to consumers and thus of questionable interest to wineries (e.g. Norton, Syrah, Traminette). I know of some people who have gone ahead and planted grapes and others who have chosen Rabbiteye blueberries or some other crop easier to grow than grapes. Good luck, Scott |
|||||||||||
|
Skiddles Member
|
Thanks Scott for sharing your knowledge about growing grapes. Maybe I'll just grow some for jelly and juice around home. Where is the best place to purchase my vines? I guess I'll have to continue to live vicariously threw what seems to be a mutual friend of ours and their vineyard...good people! They have some work to do to heal and reestablish their vineyard after that terrible wind-shear a bit ago. I feel bad for them |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
Skiddles, There is a blue, Concord type from Arkansas named Sunbelt that does well here. It is seeded and at least moderately disease resistent. Niagara does well too. It is white, very productive, and quite vigorous. Both have a labrusca (grapey) taste and are excellent for jelly and juice. You can make sweet wine out of them. Check with Foster Nursery (Michigan?) and see if they have some. I have a few small plants of locally bred seedless varieties that also have some resistence if you want to try them. They are great for eating fresh, but I don't know if they make good jelly. Birds love all of the above. Thanks for the sympathy for those of us who work at the vineyard on Pleasant Ridge Rd. in Summerfield. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
Skiddles Member
|
Thanks!  |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
If anyone is interested in trying to grow some seedless grapes, I am about to prune mine and would be happy to share some cuttings. These grapes do not need to be grafted and can be fairly easily propogated from hardwood cuttings. These are resistant to most of our diseases but are not immune and will need spraying occasionally, especially in the Spring and early Summer. They have been bred in NC and ARK. Scott |
|||||||||||
|
S. Smith Moderator
|
Does anyone know what the recent cold snap did to the grape crop around here? |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
After a cold front like we've had, it takes a couple of weeks to determine how much injury the vines have sustained. Most of the European varieties (vinifera grapes) have significant damage, at least to the shoots that have already emerged. We don't know yet whether unemerged buds or the trunks and canes have been damaged. Varieties such as Chardonnay and Merlot which had 1-3 inch. green shoots in this area when the front came through will likely have a 80-90% loss of crop. Varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon may produce 60-90% of the usual crop. Unlike the NC mountains and higher elevations in Virginia where the temperatures were much lower than here, we probably sustained much less cane and trunk injury. This was a record setting freeze so fortunately we won't experience this degree of cold very often. Late frosts are more common here and grape growers should prepare for them. |
|||||||||||
|
Scott L Member
|
Since this forum is closing, if you would like to talk about Growing Grapes, I can be reached at scottlawrence@triad.rr.com |
|||||||||||
