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If you’re looking for a white grape that does well in Virginia, I’ll put a pitch in for Itasca. Since it’s so new there isn’t a lot of info on the finished wines but it’s been great for me so far since I planted it in 2019. Fast growing with a good growth habit and no disease issues at all...

Thanks for the update! I’m really intrigued by Chelois. You gave a good report of it on your visit to NY and it’s a Seibel variety. In June I visited my wife’s hometown in France and by accident ran into the winemakers I did a day of vendanges with several years ago. Their region, Côtes du...

If I recall, you planted quite a few varieties to evaluate what works best at your site. What are you happiest with so far and do you have a sense of what your final focus will be across the three acres?

I’m looking forward to your pruning update in winter/spring!

I read an article on that a few years ago and was convinced but now I’m not so sure. I hadn’t used cultivated yeast before making wine for the first time last year and had no problem with the grapes from my vineyard spontaneously fermenting to dry. Based on what I’d read I was a little worried...

There are a few of us who do/have done it here. I did it for the first time last year and documented it here: Adventures in Wild Fermentation. I’m in the middle of my second season of spontaneous ferment and everything is going well. I also follow a YouTube channel that features interviews with...

I added part of a bucket of Grenache juice to my ferment with three lugs of grapes last year and wish I had fermented everything separately and blended afterwards. The wine is ok and I think will get better as time goes on but it’s not as concentrated as I’d like. Plus the juice bucket had kind...

Are you thinking in Richmond or nearby?

Btw, do y’all have a target date in mind? I need more people to live vicariously through plus it would be a good excuse to head down south.

My read is that a Class B farm winery has to first be a Class A for 7 years: Farm Wineries And ABC and the Virginia code make it look like you can operate a winery to manufacture and sell wine without growing fruit, you just can’t sell direct:Wine and Spirits Industry Licenses...

It looks like the biggest difference is being a farm winery allows you to operate a retail outlet and sell direct to the public or a retailer while being just a winery you have to distribute through a state-approved wholesaler. You probably saw that to qualify as a farm winery you have to grow...

Cool! I have about 30 Marquette vines in their third year in Northern Virginia and have been pleased with them so far. I planted them for the disease resistance and they’ve been a lot easier to deal with than my vinifera. I’m in the process of vinifying my first real harvest and will provide an...

FWIW, I don’t think anyone I’ve reached out to has ignored me. I’ve had mostly yeses or maybes if they’re holding out to sell their whole lot rather than piece it out of they can. One even followed up with me again this year asking if I was looking for grapes.

I haven’t yet but it’s a teinturier so I think folks that do that are making rosé. If I get enough from my vineyard eventually, I was thinking of making some via saignée. Where are you getting Marquette near Richmond or are your growing it?

Have you checked the Virginia Vineyards Association exchange: Grapes for sale ? I keep an eye on them for grapes in case disease wipes everything out from my home vineyard. I’ve written a few that posted grapes for sale and some were willing to sell me home winemaker quantities at the same...

Lol, yeah sorry to disappoint, @Booty Juice - I was busy with chores and errands today otherwise would have spoken up sooner! Happy for the folks that are going for a certain color to have the tools but also happy enough for my wine to be the color it wants to be. Really fun info - I love this...

We just enjoyed a bottle for our anniversary this week. My wife isn’t a big wine drinker but she loved your Italian Blend, Fred.

That is black rot. You can remove the infected berries and should be spraying with something effective against black rot (copper is not) earlier in the season like mancozeb or immunox, paying attention to the pre harvest interval (PHI) of the fungicide. The berries themselves will develop...

That’s a lot of rackings.

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.