Home Wine Making (& Growing) Newbie - Questions, Questions & More

[we5inelgr]

Hi all,


After a few years of "thinking" about it, I'm finally jumping into home wine grape growing/making, albeit in a very (very) limited way.


My backyard nano (angstrom?) vineyard will be a few miles north of the Lodi CA. AVA and will consist of about 10 Petite Sirah and 10 Cabernet Sauvignon Mist Propagated Cuttings from UC Davis.

Very tiny vineyard, yes, but that's what we've got to work with as far as available space. I'm doing this more as a hobby and to gauge whether I want to scale up someday (i.e. move) than to supply us with all the wine we drink which could never be done with this small of a vineyard.


The plants should be done growing and ready for pick up and planting in about 2-3 weeks. I know, late in the season, but the folks at UC Davis thought it wouldn't be too big a deal due to our climate.


I have a number of questions, since I'm totally new to not only the growing process, but the wine making part of it as well.


Planting/Growing:


Prior to planting, should I test the soil? What should the chemistry be?



What is the best trellis system for these two varietals? They will be planted in an East/West orientation in one row (no other viable option).



What kind of stakes should I use for the trellis system?



What is the least amount of spacing I could have between plants? With this type of situation, the clusters will be harvested by hand, and fairly easily so no need to allow for tractors/etc. I was hoping to plant them no more than 3 feet apart. Too close?



How often/at what rate should they be watered? I'm thinking of using 1 GPH drip emitters.



Do the vines ever need to be fertilized? If so, with what? I suppose this depends on the chemistry of the soil, right (back to the first question)?



How many years before I can expect to have my first harvest?



Winemaking: (trying to think/plan well in advance)


What kind of production, gallons/bottles, might I expect from 20 plants (low/high range)?



Any recommendations on where I can purchase the necessary equipment?



With only ~20 plants producing, should I hand crush/de-stem or is a little manual unit a better choice?



What size carboys should I use?



I would like to keep it simple and use just 1 type/strain of yeast for both varietals, and I would like our wines to end up on the dryer side and around ~14-14.5% alc. Big wines, but dry and spicy, dusty, earthy and not too jammy/juicy/sweet. What yeast should I use?



I would like to age the wines, but think Oak barrels might not be recommended due to the small amount of grapes and resulting juice. True? Alternatively, has anyone used Oak Infusion Spirals as opposed to Oak chips?



At what temperature (range) should the winemaking process (fermenting/aging, etc) be done?



Can anybody recommend a good source that has a sort of "winemaking for dummies" kind of step by step process starting from crushing/de-stemming to bottling? Meaning, what steps are required, what are optional, what are the chemicals/measurements needed and when, etc?



Thanks for reading my questions.

 

[dralarms]

Welcome to WMT.

 

[Kraffty]

I just planted 8 wine vines this year, they were already 3 years old, had a few grapes on each. So not much help yet on plant experience but I'd suggest that in the years before you have your own grapes you invest in some kits or juice buckets to start learning the basics. You'll gain experience, gather equipment and make some wine while getting prepared for the future.
Welcome and Best of Luck!
Mike

 

[we5inelgr]

Hi guys, and thanks for the welcome. I appreciate it.

Does anyone know if these are still available anywhere (seems like they aren't on his site)?

http://quarkquark.com/barrelbung/index.php?content=content_whatIsIt.html#anch

Or, if there is anything else out there like them? I'd like to use them with glass carboys.

 

[we5inelgr]

Anyone know what type of chemistry test I should be looking at as far as soil testing? I don't think I need to go with a professional test, just looking to do it myself to get an idea if I need to amend our soil prior to planting.

Is testing for pH, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potash (K) a good start?

 

[richmke]

Google is your friend.

Optimally, you get 5-7 pounds of grapes per vine.
About 15 pounds of grapes per gallon of juice.
With 10 plants of each variety, you are looking at around 3-5 gallons of juice per variety.

At that quantity, you can do it all by hand. A cheap press is two plastic pails that fit nicely inside each other. Drill holes in one. Place fermented crushed grapes in the solid pail, and press down with the pail with the holes in it. Use a wood board (and weight?) to more easily apply pressure.

Consider the wines in Napa Valley, where great Cabernet Sauvignon is grown both on the deep bale loams of the valley floor and the shallow, rocky soils on the hills above the valley. Even soils as varied as these have common features that make them suitable for making great wine. The common denominator among all great vineyard sites is that they are well-drained.
...
While a balanced vine is always the viticultural goal, it is commonly recognized that smaller vines on higher density spacing tend to produce the best wines. If the goal is high production and moderate quality, then deep, rich, fertile soils are appropriate.

http://www.pawinegrape.com/uploads/...e/Site Selection for Wine Vineyards_Chien.pdf

 

[Boatboy24]

Hi guys, and thanks for the welcome. I appreciate it.

Does anyone know if these are still available anywhere (seems like they aren't on his site)?

http://quarkquark.com/barrelbung/index.php?content=content_whatIsIt.html#anch

Or, if there is anything else out there like them? I'd like to use them with glass carboys.

I have one that I purchased from MoreWine. I used it once. It's much easier to simply put the cubes directly into the carboy and rack off them when done.

 

[Boatboy24]

Anyone know what type of chemistry test I should be looking at as far as soil testing? I don't think I need to go with a professional test, just looking to do it myself to get an idea if I need to amend our soil prior to planting.

Is testing for pH, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potash (K) a good start?

I can't speak for grape growing, but when it comes to lawn care (and most other agricultural applications) a soil test should be done well in advance of planting. Some soil ammendments can take months to have an effect. Your state probably offers a service that will do a full analysis for you. Mine does, and it only costs $15. My county will also take the results and recommend ammendments, based on the intended use of the land. Do a google search for your "county extension". That should at least get you pointed in the right direction.

If you're in Lodi, there is likely no shortage of wineries within a short drive. Go to them (preferbably the smaller ones, IMHO) and talk to people. Ask questions. I practically live in VA wine country and can tell you that most winery/vineyard owners light up when you start asking more technical questions about how their wines are made, or challenges they face growing certain grapes. They are usually more than happy to answer questiona and offer advice.

 

[Cabroper]

I have similar questions. I'm in so cal and its warm here now. My friend is harvesting cab. Does the fermentation have to be done below a certain temp? What are the temp restrictions for aging? Can it be done well in the house? Say 79 deg?

 

[we5inelgr]

Anyone know what type of chemistry test I should be looking at as far as soil testing? I don't think I need to go with a professional test, just looking to do it myself to get an idea if I need to amend our soil prior to planting.

Is testing for pH, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potash (K) a good start?

Update:

Just got my soil analysis back from Texas A&M (they accept samples from out of state, and were far cheaper than anybody near me) and it looks like I'm pretty low on Nitrogen and need to suppliment with Phosphorus and Potassium as well.

Also looks like my pH is a bit too high, at 7.7. Should I try and correct that? If so, with what?

*CL=Critical level is the point which no additional nutrient (excluding nitrate-N, sodium and conductivity) is recommended. **ppm=mg/kg

 

[Christopher Anderson]

Hi all,


After a few years of "thinking" about it, I'm finally jumping into home wine grape growing/making, albeit in a very (very) limited way.


My backyard nano (angstrom?) vineyard will be a few miles north of the Lodi CA. AVA and will consist of about 10 Petite Sirah and 10 Cabernet Sauvignon Mist Propagated Cuttings from UC Davis.

Very tiny vineyard, yes, but that's what we've got to work with as far as available space. I'm doing this more as a hobby and to gauge whether I want to scale up someday (i.e. move) than to supply us with all the wine we drink which could never be done with this small of a vineyard.


The plants should be done growing and ready for pick up and planting in about 2-3 weeks. I know, late in the season, but the folks at UC Davis thought it wouldn't be too big a deal due to our climate.


I have a number of questions, since I'm totally new to not only the growing process, but the wine making part of it as well.


Planting/Growing:


Prior to planting, should I test the soil? What should the chemistry be?



What is the best trellis system for these two varietals? They will be planted in an East/West orientation in one row (no other viable option).



What kind of stakes should I use for the trellis system?



What is the least amount of spacing I could have between plants? With this type of situation, the clusters will be harvested by hand, and fairly easily so no need to allow for tractors/etc. I was hoping to plant them no more than 3 feet apart. Too close?



How often/at what rate should they be watered? I'm thinking of using 1 GPH drip emitters.



Do the vines ever need to be fertilized? If so, with what? I suppose this depends on the chemistry of the soil, right (back to the first question)?



How many years before I can expect to have my first harvest?



Winemaking: (trying to think/plan well in advance)


What kind of production, gallons/bottles, might I expect from 20 plants (low/high range)?



Any recommendations on where I can purchase the necessary equipment?



With only ~20 plants producing, should I hand crush/de-stem or is a little manual unit a better choice?



What size carboys should I use?



I would like to keep it simple and use just 1 type/strain of yeast for both varietals, and I would like our wines to end up on the dryer side and around ~14-14.5% alc. Big wines, but dry and spicy, dusty, earthy and not too jammy/juicy/sweet. What yeast should I use?



I would like to age the wines, but think Oak barrels might not be recommended due to the small amount of grapes and resulting juice. True? Alternatively, has anyone used Oak Infusion Spirals as opposed to Oak chips?



At what temperature (range) should the winemaking process (fermenting/aging, etc) be done?



Can anybody recommend a good source that has a sort of "winemaking for dummies" kind of step by step process starting from crushing/de-stemming to bottling? Meaning, what steps are required, what are optional, what are the chemicals/measurements needed and when, etc?



Thanks for reading my questions.

#1. Welcome. You are in the grove season now.
I have been growing grapes for 5 years. Last year was the first year I grew a whole bunch of grapes. Before that, there was an ok amount. Then I did about 5 gallons. Last year, I did 12 gallons with 8 vines. I hand destem with family. Hand crush. Fermented with EC 1118. Had a good wine. Been sitting for 5 months in carboys. Taste is good. Not great yet.

Other questions will be answered soon.