# Marquette starting veraison......



## ibglowin (Jul 19, 2021)

About the same as last year time wise.


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## treesaver (Jul 20, 2021)

I just netted my frontenac this morning. Just finished one row, and a mockingbird flew to that row and discovered his meal wasn't free anymore! lol


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## Steve Wargo (Jul 22, 2021)

ibglowin said:


> About the same as last year time wise.
> 
> View attachment 76711


I'd swear they were real. lol Gets me excited about the 2021 harvest


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## jackl (Jul 22, 2021)

My Marquette hasn‘t started to turn yet. Probably about 2 weeks out and then I will net them. Looks like a good crop. Last year I was on vacation and the birds had a feast before I netted. We started out with a dry spring, but we’re having a wet humid summer. Japanese beetles are active, but I’ve been able to prevent any mildew with periodic fungicide applications.


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## wood1954 (Jul 24, 2021)

Looks like a well tended vineyard especially compared to mine. Did you have extreme weather during flowering? Your clusters are quite loose. I wonder what caused that.


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## ibglowin (Jul 24, 2021)

We had a late frost post bud break this year (like usual) and then we have had some light hail during spring right round bloom. Not the prettiest clusters this year. Contrast the Marquette with the Noiret which is always several weeks behind and look at the difference.......






wood1954 said:


> Looks like a well tended vineyard especially compared to mine. Did you have extreme weather during flowering? Your clusters are quite loose. I wonder what caused that.


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## wood1954 (Jul 25, 2021)

This is what my Marquette looks like, I have mostly secondary clusters, hopefully they will ripen.


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## berrycrush (Jul 28, 2021)

Mine are all purple. Surprising considering they bud late this year.


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## ibglowin (Jul 28, 2021)

We are moving along nicely here.


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## Cynewulf (Jul 28, 2021)

I’m a little confused as to where I am with mine. I took a sample on 7/23 and was at 21.5 Brix and 3.02pH. I checked again today and was at 24 Brix and 3.12 pH but the pH meter’s batteries were fading so I replaced them, recalibrated and the juice was at 3.02. Guess I’ll check again this weekend with some fresh buffer solution. They taste pretty good.


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## ibglowin (Jul 28, 2021)

You want to pick around 25-26 Brix if you can get there. 




Cynewulf said:


> I’m a little confused as to where I am with mine. I took a sample on 7/23 and was at 21.5 Brix and 3.02pH. I checked again today and was at 24 Brix and 3.12 pH but the pH meter’s batteries were fading so I replaced them, recalibrated and the juice was at 3.02. Guess I’ll check again this weekend with some fresh buffer solution. They taste pretty good.
> 
> View attachment 77042
> 
> View attachment 77044


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## Cynewulf (Jul 28, 2021)

ibglowin said:


> You want to pick around 25-26 Brix if you can get there.


Thanks, I was hesitating as to whether I should harvest this weekend or hold out until my pH readings are closer to 3.3 but I’m a little worried about Brix getting away from me. The juice, skins, and seeds all taste good and not too acidic or bitter like the few clusters I let ripen last year. With your encouragement I might go ahead and pull them this weekend.


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## Cynewulf (Jul 29, 2021)

ibglowin said:


> You want to pick around 25-26 Brix if you can get there.


I had another question for you: I exchanged some messages with a winery in Virginia that grows Marquette and they were saying that in their vines’ early years the fruit ripened early though the chemistry was often screwy but as the vines got older they started ripening later in the summer/fall and the chemistry has stabilized and become more consistent. Has that been your experience where you are?


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## ibglowin (Jul 29, 2021)

I have a unique growing situation. I live at high elevation (6700ft) and live in a high mountain dry desert climate. Our soils are thin and volcanic with tons of basalt rock underneath the soil. This creates a terroir that mimics a "rocks funk" in most wines. Our water is basic in pH as well as our soil. Because of these conditions I can get a high brix due to our heat and dry climate and due to our soil the grapes turn out with an unbelievable pH and TA. I usually have a pH around 3.6 and a TA around 6g/L. No adjustment in chemistry is needed. I seem to be ripening a few weeks earlier the last few years but I attribute that to warmer weather in the summer and less rains during our summer monsoon season.


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## Cynewulf (Jul 30, 2021)

ibglowin said:


> I have a unique growing situation. I live at high elevation (6700ft) and live in a high mountain dry desert climate. Our soils are thin and volcanic with tons of basalt rock underneath the soil. This creates a terroir that mimics a "rocks funk" in most wines. Our water is basic in pH as well as our soil. Because of these conditions I can get a high brix due to our heat and dry climate and due to our soil the grapes turn out with an unbelievable pH and TA. I usually have a pH around 3.6 and a TA around 6g/L. No adjustment in chemistry is needed. I seem to be ripening a few weeks earlier the last few years but I attribute that to warmer weather in the summer and less rains during our summer monsoon season.


Wow, those are nice numbers. Have you not noticed any difference in the ripening parameters between when they were young and first producing to now or have they been consistent from the beginning?


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## Cynewulf (Jul 30, 2021)

I think these guys just decided for me: harvest is tomorrow (maybe tonight).


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## ibglowin (Jul 30, 2021)

Pretty consistent over the years. I planted my vines back in the Spring of 2010. Mostly I see that th grapes are ripening earlier than back in 2012 when I got my first crop. Back then they would hang till the end of August or early September. Now they are doing good to make it till mid August at best. This is for the Marquette. The Noiret is always weeks behind since they break bud weeks later.



Cynewulf said:


> Wow, those are nice numbers. Have you not noticed any difference in the ripening parameters between when they were young and first producing to now or have they been consistent from the beginning?


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## wood1954 (Jul 31, 2021)

Hope you don’t get stung too often.


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## Cynewulf (Jul 31, 2021)

wood1954 said:


> Hope you don’t get stung too often.


Thanks. I did about half last night when they were getting sleepy and the rest this morning just as they were starting their workday so didn’t have any problems. Ended up with 85 lbs from about 25 third year vines.


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## wood1954 (Jul 31, 2021)

Nice harvest, good luck with your ferment


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## VillaVino (Aug 4, 2021)

All my 11 year old Marquettes have turned red. I’m going to have to get serious here and start with brix testing and try the new hand held pH meter this weekend. My 4 year old Marquettes are just starting to turn and are fairly on schedule even though these took a frost beating this spring.


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## wood1954 (Aug 5, 2021)

My secondary Marquette clusters are just starting to turn pink, I hope they ripen, main clusters are pretty well dark blue now.


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## JustJoe (Aug 5, 2021)

My marquettes are at 18 brix already. How high can the marquette grape go? Also, since I am in Minnesota, it seems VERY early to be that high. Is there any reason to worry?


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## ibglowin (Aug 5, 2021)

They top out at 25-26 brix.



JustJoe said:


> My marquettes are at 18 brix already. How high can the marquette grape go? Also, since I am in Minnesota, it seems VERY early to be that high. Is there any reason to worry?


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## countygrapeguy (Aug 5, 2021)

Veraison of my Marquette is happening here in Ontario


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## VillaVino (Aug 5, 2021)

JustJoe said:


> My marquettes are at 18 brix already. How high can the marquette grape go? Also, since I am in Minnesota, it seems VERY early to be that high. Is there any reason to worry?


I think we are just going to have to accept they will be early this year. I though disease would set in but they’re holding. I’m in west central Wisconsin.


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## treesaver (Aug 14, 2021)

All of my cultivars are early this year. Wonder why! Frontenac is not much earlier than usual, but the verona and concord is gonna be right behind it....within a few days. Even the norton has some pink clusters, and is still a long way off, but I usually pick it the end of September.


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