Planting grapes for future wine

[wbhutchins]

Hi everyone. I'll preface this with the fact that I've never made wine from grapes, only fruit berries and honey for mead. So please excuse my ignorance. I have a small plot of land and have about 15 -20 linear feet of space available to plant a small grapevine. I'm considering all facets, what variety will grow well in the Kentucky climate. What variety makes good wines. Should I stick with one variety so it will produce enough fruit to make a 5 gallon batch due to the size restriction. Or is 10 feet produce enough grapes for a 1 gallon batch so I could plant a dark and white variety?

Thanks in advance for your tips!

 

[Rice_Guy]

- you are in the east,, ie humid area, ,, so fungus will be an issue, native varieties do better than vinifera, but heavy duty spraying could also be a fix
- with one concord I maxed at three gallons, you will take a few years/ 5ish to see full yield
- variety? what is growing in Ky? are there recommendations from the extension office? what do local small wineries use as a grape? Last of all what flavor do you like?
- seeing grapes in Europe changed my point of view, intense growing was on about four foot/ one meter spacing

 

[wbhutchins]

- you are in the east,, ie humid area, ,, so fungus will be an issue, native varieties do better than vinifera, but heavy duty spraying could also be a fix
- with one concord I maxed at three gallons, you will take a few years/ 5ish to see full yield
- variety? what is growing in Ky? are there recommendations from the extension office? what do local small wineries use as a grape? Last of all what flavor do you like?
- seeing grapes in Europe changed my point of view, intense growing was on about four foot/ one meter spacing

I think I want to make something like a German Riesling, or a similar white wine is what I'm looking to make. I guess I need to find a local plant nursery. Maybe they will have some suggestions.

 

[wood1954]

With only 20 ft you won’t get much more than 3 gals. 4 maybe.

 

[fermenter]

I have 5 norton and 3 garnacha in about 40 feet. That is a little crowded but I make it work. Yeilds about 5 gal.

 

[Neb Farmer]

Just for reference , I have a 30 foot row of 10 Riesling vines....slightly crowded but it works okay. My yield is always about 3.5 gallons. I also have a 30 foot row of 10 Sangiovese vines that produce 6 gallons . My vines are what many consider to be 'crowded' , planted close together , and if I planted them again I would space them apart just another foot or so ( in the row ) . But they seem to do okay the way they are.
Have fun and good luck in your vineyard!

 

[fermenter]

Neb, just FYI my brother lives in Dayton. Doesn't do wine.