U-Pick Hybrid Grapes in my area

[ibglowin]

Found this on Craigslist.

Rich or Al or anyone else out there know if this is a good/bad deal? These are about 120 miles South of me. Are these any good for making a Red or White out of? If so which would you pick? One or the other or perhaps a blend?

 

[grapeman]

Some people like Baco Noir- but I don't care so much for it. I suppose that is because it is such a rogue in the vineyard- running rampant. I was pruning off 25 foot bull canes on Friday at Willsboro. Chancellor is much better in my opinion. It makes a pretty decent red wine.


As far as the whites, either one would make a good wine. I prefer the Seval myself as it is a bit crisper and to my liking, althoudgh Vidal makes a very good fruity wine.


The prices are as good as you can expect anyone to give you and still grow a decent grape. I would ask him to crush/destem them if you can. It will make transport much easier. If you go for it let us know how they turn out.

 

[Wade E]

Ive seen all four as wines that were good with maybe the exception of the Sevalle as maybe thats different from what Ive tasted as its spelled differently. Maybe they spelled it wrong or its different from Seyval.

 

[AlFulchino]

me have no expertise in this matter

 

[Dean]

I actually like Baco when done well. Kinda like a Zinfandel, but with a little more finesse.

 

[grapeman]

Over here the Baco tends to get a bit too acidic which does weird things for it. This year is turning out to be much warmer, so it might be good here also.

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks for the quick responses!

Is there a magic brix to shoot for on these hybrid varieties?Any other info I should know before I email/call?

If I were to make 6 gallons, my rough estimation would be ~90lb depending on stem size and cluster size obviously.

But I have no press either. Is there an alternative way to press that would work for this small of batch?

I will ask the owner if they have any resources or know of any resources as well.

 

[Wade E]

You can use the 3 bucket method where the top bucket is the press, the middle bucket is where the grapes go and is drilled on the lower sides and bottom for the juice to come out and the bottom bucket is the collector and it will need to be a bigger bucket or just have some sanitized blocks or bricks in Ziploc bags to keep the upper buckets from locking in to the point where no juice can run in. Im going to guess at the brix and say most grapes should be around 22 or above for bigger reds.

 

[ibglowin]

Wow! This is (just one reason) why this forum rocks!

A 3 bucket press, what a great idea, thanks Wade!

 

[AlFulchino]

Thanks for the quick responses!



Is there a magic brix to shoot for on these hybrid varieties?Any other info I should know before I email/call?



If I were to make 6 gallons, my rough estimation would be ~90lb depending on stem size and cluster size obviously.



But I have no press either. Is there an alternative way to press that would work for this small of batch?



I will ask the owner if they have any resources or know of any resources as well.

use your purty feet my new mexico brother~

and there is NO magical brix number on hybrids...follow thy intuition..and remember....pretty much all grape varieties have essentially at one time or another been a hybrid

 

[Dean]

Here in the Okanagan area, the Baco has a nice acidity, but is not overly so. Our climate is very close to Washington and Oregon though. We get some snow, but very little true sub zero cold. I'm sure that makes a huge play on the acid development.

 

[grapeman]

90-100 pounds should make you a batch. You could get a bit more with a press, but the reds will really soften up when fermented on the skins and increase yield. You can get a tabletop press pretty cheaply also. They do a small amount at a time, but easily could help retrieve more wine from the must when you press.


You are pretty much locked into where the grower picks for you as far as brix. He should know what is best for you area unless he has never gotten a crop before. You can expect 22-26 brix on the reds and a bit lower with those whites.

 

[ibglowin]

Even I wouldn't drink wine pressed from my feet but the wife has pretty feet. Perhaps I could find her a nice little wine stomping outfit as well.....

use your purty feet my new mexico brother~