Jumped in the Pool, let's see what transpires.

[DansWinemaking]

Good Afternoon, just a quick update. Just joined the Club a couple weeks ago so figured it was time to dive in. Will spare all the details but right now I have a Merlot, Cab Sauv and Pinot Noir cooking in boiler room, which sits at a steady 72 - 75 degrees. First two kits are Wine Expert and the last one is Coloma Pinot Noir juice. Rookie mistakes included locking up the first two with an airlock and making 2 gallons of Cab Sauv in a 2 gallon bucket with little headroom. The airlock spray was pretty epic!
Minimal tweeks on all three batches, the first Merlot, no tweaks, the second Cab Sauv I've added some grape seeds and oak. The most recent batch, the Pino Noir, I added grape seeds, yeast nutrient, oak chips and started this ferment in a plastic bucket with a towel over the top at ,least through this weekend. Ambient is 72-75 degrees. With each batch, I've picked up input from you and learned bits and pieces. I'm looking forward to some failure and some success in early March. Thanks for the encouragement!
Dan

 

[ratflinger]

Welcome! Sounds like you are doing good. 72 - 75 is where all of mine run at.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT! Looks like you’re off to a great start! They are only failures if you haven’t learned from them. They are great experiences. Some which will make great stories. Keep us updated~

 

[DansWinemaking]

Thanks all, I am low batching it right now to learn the nuances. As I noted earlier I brewed wine on premises for 20 year and overall the wine was good, but I am dedicated to improve on it.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to WMT.

. . . . and next comes a few buckets and then buying grapes and then planting vines.

 

[ChuckD]

Welcome to WMT.

. . . . and next comes a few buckets and then buying grapes and then planting vines.

Welcome Dan.

Don’t slow play this, Just skip right to planting vines… it takes three years for a harvest you know

 

[Codfish]

Welcome Dan.

Don’t slow play this, Just skip right to planting vines… it takes three years for a harvest you know

Hi Chuck, I am rooting them in tree pots because on the coast of Ma. growing season starts late so I am trying to get a jump on it. I'm hoping they will be well rooted by the middle of May. They say here not to put your tomato plants out till Memorial Day.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Hi Chuck, I am rooting them in tree pots because on the coast of Ma. growing season starts late so I am trying to get a jump on it. I'm hoping they will be well rooted by the middle of May.

in the ideal world you will have well developed roots when you plant. This could mean 1) root in a greenhouse now with a heat mat, 2) for year one have a drip irrigation system in a field like the nursery, 3) root then in compostable pots and then plant the whole pot at the target location, 4) be in a wet climate where there is uniform soil moisture, ,,, other

On my part rooting grapes is easy. I have issues when it comes to transplanting outside. Sun/ warmth/ wind create moisture stress where juvenile roots have a hard time keeping up. I look at rooting cuttings as a five year to get a full pail of fruit project.

 

[Codfish]

in the ideal world you will have well developed roots when you plant. This could mean 1) root in a greenhouse now with a heat mat, 2) for year one have a drip irrigation system in a field like the nursery, 3) root then in compostable pots and then plant the whole pot at the target location, 4) be in a wet climate where there is uniform soil moisture, ,,, other

On my part rooting grapes is east. I have issues when it comes to transplanting outside. Sun/ warmth/ wind create moisture stress where juvenile roots have a hard time keeping up. I look at rooting cuttings as a five year to get a full pail of fruit project.

thanks for the reply. I'm thinking they will have good roots in the tree pots in 10 weeks and then I was going to plant the soil and cuttings together.It,s still going down to the mid 30s here.

 

[Rice_Guy]

* cuttings take better if you are at the stage where buds visibly swell, but have not broken open (committed themselves to leaf tissue). You are probably zone five so it ie a good time to do it. I am zone four but pruned so some are going
* roots like their feet warm/ not hot making humidity condense, if you have condensation as in the sun there is a risk of mold taking over
* I have done community pots and individual long sleeves. This year I cut some four inch pipe by ten long, put a newspaper bag in the pipe, filled the bag with potting mix, treated cuttings with rootone , and inserted to the bottom.
I have enough length to have two nodes on all cuttings and some have three nodes
View attachment 72570
* once leaves pop out I will take the bag off so that they do not mold

I have given the neighbor a pail of cuttings in water and they took off in the water,, grapes are fairly easy to root so using Rootone can be overkill, ,,, but then I have been working at this bottle for fifty years and ought to finish it.

. . . . . In the greenhouse with bottom heat I might have enough root to make it work over 10 weeks. My success on planting first year rooted cuttings in the ground has been about 25-35% at the next spring.
Buying big enough to transplant nursery stock takes two years off the growing process. ,,, Curious what varieties you want. Maine would suggest northern hybrids. If so for tannic red wine my current favorite wine is Petite Pearl. ,,, BUT as a farmer this variety requires lots of fungal spraying. You can search the archives for more opinions.

 

[Codfish]

I'm not sure if I can grow grapes here so I was going the cheap route with cuttings. Not just the growing conditions but my ability.I was thinking of getting 10 more Marquette, and now that you mention it maybe 10 petite pearl. We have a vineyard about 30 miles away that grows some vines and also imports juice and grapes. They wouldn't let me buy in on the grapes, but next time I'm there I will ask about cuttings.

 

[Codfish]

Hi Chuck, I am rooting them in tree pots because on the coast of Ma. growing season starts late so I am trying to get a jump on it. I'm hoping they will be well rooted by the middle of May. They say here not to put your tomato plants out till Memorial Day.

sorry wrong thread

 

[Rice_Guy]

Wisconsin is pre bud break, about a month ahead of normal this spring, so it is a good time to put some rooting hormone on some sticks.

You are costal so they should survive winter. Growing degree days? Petite Pearl is about two weeks later than Marquette. You ought to be able to accomplish nice tannin by getting some skins packs for your freezer.