How To Grow Wine Grapes

Other Wine Grape Growing Requirements To Consider

Experts often prefer planting grapevines on a slope. This helps to encourage good drainage, while preventing the soil from becoming waterlogged.

Either way, whether you plant on a slope or on flat ground, keep in mind that your grapevines will need supports.Trellis systems are the easiest way to provide this, but have this set up before you get planting.

How To Plant Wine Grapes In A Greenhouse

Although your grapevines will likely do just fine outside , growing them in a greenhouse has a couple of distinct advantages. Firstly, it will give you access to a greater choice of varieties, since theyll have a warmer and more protected growing environment. This also means that yields tend to be higher and the fruit is usually of a better quality.

The main downside to growing wine grapes in a greenhouse is the amount of space that they need. Grapevines grow pretty large, and while you can train them to grow up the side of your greenhouse, they will still take up a significant amount of that precious growing area.

When it comes to growing wine grapes in a greenhouse, you have two main options; plant the roots just outside your greenhouse, creating a small hole for the vines to grow in, or plant the roots inside. The outside method gives the roots a natural supply of moisture and nutrients, while indoor roots will require more care and attention.

Dwarf wine grape varieties can also be planted into containers. However, this does limit root growth and spread, so go for a container thats as large as possible, ensuring that it offers good drainage.

Follow This Simple Calendar To Keep Grapevines Healthy And Productive

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How To Take Grapevine Cuttings:

• Cut your chosen canes off the vine. Snip the top so that its quite flat, but cut the bottom at an angle. This will help to identify both ends, saving you from planting them upside down

• If youve got some rooting hormone powder, dip the bottom of each cutting into this. You can also make your own rooting hormone from items that you may have around the house, such as honey, cinnamon powder, and aloe vera

• Fill some pots with a multipurpose compost

• Push a cutting into each pot, deep enough so that just the top two buds are above the surface of the soil

• Keep the soil very lightly moist and place them in an area that receives morning sun but afternoon shade

• Once you notice new leaves growing from your cuttings, they should then be moved into a larger container. While you could plant them straight out instead, experts recommend growing cuttings on in pots for a year before planting. This helps them to establish a strong root system, and theyll then be ready for planting the following spring

Location For Growing Wine Grapes

Depending on the variety chosen, wine grapes can be grown nearly anywhere. The most popular are concord , beta , and valiant . There are literally hundreds of wine-producing grapes to choose from. The choice will depend on the type of wine you wish to make and the climate you live in.

Grapes for wines are grown all over. They thrive along the Western seaboard, throughout the eastern areas of Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho. They are grown in Californias famous Napa Valley, of course, but vineyards can also be found in Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and even Montana. Minnesota and Great Lakes area locations are also growing grapes in cool climates.

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Choose The Right Wine Grapes For Your Climate

The first step of growing grape vines for making wine is choosing the right variety for the climate of your site. If you are planting vines in a cooler climate site, aim to plant Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon . For moderate climates, plant Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon . For warm climates look to plant Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier .

How To Store Wine Grapes

If you plan on making wine, then its best to do this with grapes that are as fresh as possible.

However, wine grapes do still store well. They can be kept in a fridge for a couple of weeks, or in a root cellar for up to six weeks. Place them into a cardboard box thats lined with clean straw, and use more straw to separate each cluster, so that theyre not all touching each other. Since grapes easily absorb smells, keep them well away from any other fruits and vegetables.

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How To Grow Wine Grapes From Seed

Although its technically possible to grow wine grapes from seed, this isnt commonly done. Grapes grown from seed arent true to type, meaning that they probably wont turn out to be the same variety as the parent plant that produced those seeds. Since wine grapes contain specific acidity, sugar, and juice levels, grapes grown from seed may not offer the same, meaning that they wont produce a tasty wine.

What makes this even worse is the fact that it can take a few years before your seed-grown grapes are ready to be harvested. This means that youll be spending a significant amount of time cultivating your precious vines, only to find out that the fruit isnt suitable for what you need.

If you would still like to try growing wine grapes from seed, your seeds will need to be cold stratified for two to three months first. Skipping this step will result in very poor germination rates, since grape seeds are covered with a tough outer coating that can keep the seeds dormant for years. Start the stratification process towards the end of the year, so that youre ready to get sowing in early spring.

How To Grow Grapes From Seed

Although its technically possible to grow wine grapes from seed, this isnt commonly done. Grapes grown from seed arent true to type. This means that they probably wont turn out to be the same variety as the parent plant that produced those seeds. Since wine grapes contain specific acidity, sugar, and juice levels, grapes grown from seed may not offer the same. This means that they wont produce a tasty wine.

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When To Harvest Grapes

While tasting the grapes is a fine way to know when to harvest them, also invest in a hydrometer which measures the specific gravity of liquids available at winemaking supply shops. This will tell you the sugar content of the berries. A specific gravity between 1.095 and 1.105 is ideal, especially a reading toward 1.105. Sample the grapes so you can learn how grapes taste at their optimum harvest-state. Also examine the seeds. If they are green, let the grapes hang, but don’t let them hang any longer if the specific gravity reaches 1.105 or your wine will be overly alcoholic and unbalanced. What you’re looking for is seeds that have mostly turned dark, or brownish. When the grape seeds are dark and the sugar level is right, go ahead and harvest.

Is It Hard To Grow Wine Grapes

Depends.

Growing grapes is relatively easy; however, if the grapes are to be used for making wine, then its a different story.

Wine grapes are very delicate fruits they dry too easily in hot climates and dont handle wet or cold temperatures for too long either. The soil needs to have good drainage for grapevines to develop well. You may grow a grapevine but it may bear little to no fruit or produce half-grown fruits that arent ready for consumption or winemaking.

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Traditional Vs Hybrid Vines

Knowing how to grow grapes for wine making starts with knowing the two different varieties used by renowned winemakers. The first one is made up of the European grapes. Often, this variety is used in traditional vineyards found in Europe and California. These grapes grow under ideal weather conditions. The second type of grapes is made up of the hybrids. If the ideal conditions for grapes do not last long in your area, your next best choice will be to use this variety. These types of grapes have been known to withstand the harshness of winter and shorter growing season

Removing Flowers And Fruit

Remove all flowers for the first two years after planting, so all the plant’s energy goes into getting well established.

Then allow only three bunches of grapes to grow on three-year-old vines, and about five on four-year-old vines â slightly more if the plant is growing well. Allow full cropping thereafter.

With dessert grapes, it is best to thin out the fruits within each bunch, to produce better quality grapes . The;fruits of outdoor wine grapes do not need thinning.;

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How To Grow & Maintain Grapes In The Home Landscape

Growing Grapes Selecting The Right Variety To Plant

Selecting what grape variety to grow starts with knowing what you want from your crop. Are you looking for table grapes to eat? Or perhaps grapes for making jam, jellies, juice or wine?

There are 2 main styles of grapes, table grapes, and wine or juice grapes. Within these 2 general silos, there are hundreds of variations. But to simplify, most can be boiled down to being either European, or American grape varieties.

European varieties are more well-known for wine making, although there are certainly table grapes within the many choices.

American vs. European Style Grapes

American varieties such as Concord and Mars are sweeter types, and excellent choices for both eating and making juice, jellies and jams.

In addition, these two varieties tend to handle cold winters much better than European varieties. As for wine making, there have been many new hybrids and varieties among both sides of the pond that work well.

The most important task of all for successful planting is selecting a grape variety that handles your climate and soil conditions well.

Growing Grapes When And How To Plant

All grapes need sun to grow well. For starters, select a location that is either full sun, or as close to full sun as possible.

Locations that receive at least morning and afternoon sun are the best. It not only helps to ripen crops, but also helps dry vines and prevent mildew.

The Planting Process

Long Term Care

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Choosing A Grapevine To Plant

There are two basic types of grapes â dessert grapes for eating, and wine grapes, although some varieties may be suitable for both.

• Dessert grapes are sweeter and;need warmer temperatures to ripen properly, so;for a successful crop they generally need to be grown in a greenhouse in the UK

• Wine grapes can be grown outdoors in milder areas of the UK, but will crop better;under glass

Within each category, there is a choice of varieties, offering white, red or black fruits, seeded or seedless, with different flavours, levels of sweetness, hardiness and resistance to disease. Take care to choose a variety to suit your climate and soil.;Look in particular for;those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit , which shows they performed well in trials â see our list of;AGM fruit and veg.Grapevines are usually sold in containers, as young plants 60cm tall or more. They are widely available for most of the year in garden centres and from online suppliers.;If buying in person, check plants to ensure they are healthy â if buying in summer, the foliage should be green, not yellow. Avoid;plants that are âpot boundâ .;

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How To Grow Grapes For Home Winemaking

Growing wine grape varieties is a long-term investment. Select a cutting to propagate a new vine, taking one or two cuttings per plant. This should be done in late fall when leaves have dropped.

Cutting should be ¼ inch in diameter and at taken from canes at least a year old. Make the cut just below a bud at a 45-degree angle, then another about an inch above the bud. Three buds should be present on the cutting.

Store cuttings in peat moss sealed with plastic and keep in refrigerator at 40 degrees F. until spring. Additionally, you can also purchase these cuttings from a reputable company at this time.

How To Plant Greenhouse Grapevines

Grapevines are lovely plants to train along the inside of a greenhouse or conservatory, but they do require a lot of room. One vine is plenty for a small greenhouse â if planting more;in a larger greenhouse, allow 1m between each one.

Greenhouse grapevines grow best when the roots are planted outside and the vine is trained into the greenhouse through a gap;near ground level. However, where this is not possible, the vine;can be planted directly into the greenhouse border, but more watering will be required.

Double dig the ground, then incorporate a light dressing of well-rotted manure or garden compost, plus John Innes base fertiliser at 90g ;per square metre/yard. If the soil is waterlogged, dig a hole 75â90cm deep and create a 15cm drainage layer of brick rubble, gravel or similar in the base.

When planting inside, plant the grapevine at the opposite end to the door, so;the stems can be trained along the side of the greenhouse, parallel to the ridge of the roof and running towards the door.

The best time to plant;is in November or December, as the vine can be pruned back without;bleeding. Vines should be planted at the same depth;they were in the pot. Gently tease out;the roots, so they are well spread out in the planting hole.For more planting tips, see our step-by-step guide to planting climbers.;

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Add Yeast Citric Acid And Bentonite Leave To Ferment

If you have a Hedgerow Wine Kit add sachets 1, 1c and 1d when the temperature has dropped to at least 30 degrees centigrade. If you don’t have one, add 1 sachet/5g yeast , 5 tsps citric acid and 2 tsps bentonite . Reseal lid and make sure airlock is sealed well and half full with water.

Leave to ferment for about two weeks at room temperature or slightly above, or until it almost stops bubbling. Stir with a sterilised stirrer and leave until it stops bubbling again.

How To Prepare & Cook Wine Grapes

Chances are, if youre growing wine grapes, then youre hoping to make some homemade wine. 1kg of grapes usually amounts to 1 litre of liquid, so weighing your harvest will give you a good idea of how much wine you can make.

The winemaking process isnt simple and will require some in-depth research. However, the basic steps are as follows:

• Crush and press your grapes

• Check sugar and acidity levels

• Add in a wine yeast and leave to ferment

• Strain the liquid and then continue fermenting

• Siphon your wine into a clean bucket and leave to clear

The fermentation process usually takes about 2-6 weeks. It varies based on the sugar content of your grapes, as well as the temperature that youre fermenting at. Once fermented, your wine will need to be left to mature for a few months.

In addition to making wine, you can also use your wine grapes to make everything from grape juice to jams, jellies, sodas, and raisins. Although wine grape varieties arent the best for eating fresh, theyre incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

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For best results, choose a grape variety recommended for your USDA growing zone. Backyard gardeners usually grow American, European or French-American hybrid grapes. Wild grapes like muscadines , which are native to the southern U.S., are also popular.

Depending on the variety, grapevines can grow in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 10. Backyard grapevines need full sun, well-drained soil, proper pruning and training on a trellis, arbor or other support. ;

If youre wondering how fast grapevines grow, the woody vines and lush leaves can grow very fast in the first year. If you mean, how fast do grapevines produce grapes?, the answer is that they can take up to three years to bear fruit. Pruning has a lot to do with fruit production.;

For best results, prune away all the sprouts coming out of the ground around your grapevines in the first year. Leave only the strongest sprouts and let four of those develop into the plant’s main canes.;Use loppers for canes over 1/2-inch in diameter, a pruning saw for thicker canes and pruning shears for small canes.

In the second year, start training the canes as they grow so they attach in two parallel lines along a fence or trellis. That fall, prune away everything except the main trunk and canes. This should leave about one-third of each plant.;

In the spring of their third year, the vines should produce the growth needed to make grapes.;

Cuttings rooted in soil or water can take up to three years to produce grapes.;

Site Selection For Growing Wine Grapes

Planting is relatively straight forward. Most vineyards use trellises or guide fences to train their vines. This is preferable, preventing the grapes to sprawl heedlessly across the ground. The soil should be well drained, though some varieties prefer a thicker clay-based soil and others prefer thin, rocky soils. Go with your varietys preference. All grapes prefer a slope for good drainage.

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