Wanna get into my own vines

[JohnT]

Folks,

I have this field that i always wanted to plant with vines. I have been in this house for 12 year, and think its about time to plant. Here is one problem: I know how to make wine, but do not know anything about growing grapes!

Can anybody kindly recomend a good "how to" book? also, what grape varietals would you recomend for North Jersey?

Thanks,

johnT.

 

[grapeman]

One often referred to is Jeff Cox's book From Vines to Wines
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1580171052/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

There's quite a bit of info right here under the 'grape growing' heading. And if you need more info, just ask.
Grapeman has some great videos on 'Hid-in-Pines Vineyard" link.
Most northeren varities should grow in your area.
What are you looking for?

 

[UBB]

One often referred to is Jeff Cox's book From Vines to Wines
http://www.amazon.com/From-Vines-Wines-Complete-Growing/dp/1580171052

Yep. I have this book. It's a great place to start.

 

[FTC Wines]

I read Cox's book & others, talked to the County Ag. Agent & got a bunch of pamphlets from him on grape growing in the area. Lastly I visited the local wineries & got a wealth of knowledge, not to mention some really good wine! Roy

 

[bigdrums2]

Ron lombough's book - the organic grape grower. It's really good, and full of variety information. Your first choice is picking the right varieties! What works in the west will struggle in the east. The cox book in my opinion is bent more toward west coast styles, but it's good too.

 

[JohnT]

There's quite a bit of info right here under the 'grape growing' heading. And if you need more info, just ask.
Grapeman has some great videos on 'Hid-in-Pines Vineyard" link.
Most northeren varities should grow in your area.
What are you looking for?

Here is the problem, I do not know what I am looking for.

My thinking is to let my location decide. I would like to try anything that grows well in north jersey, but produces a good wine.

If I had my choice of the grapes I like the most, it would be a cabernet or petit sarah (or any big red). I know that this is not practical for my location, but I would want a grape that will produce a wine in a "Big Red" style.

 

[Boatboy24]

What about Cab Franc?

Are there wineries around you? Do they grow anything you like?

 

[bigdrums2]

From the vinifera varieties maybe cab franc or petit verdot, but those aren't big red styles grapes. One that works well in pennsylvania is chancellor (cox grew it) but I've never had any. Personally I recommend Chambourcin and norton. Norton might be your best shot at a big red. Both of those have good disease resistance and produce a high quality wine.

 

[JohnT]

I am currently reading "Wild Vine". Norton sounds interesting so I bough a rather pricey bottle of it (grown in Georgia). It was rater tart. I do not know if that bottle was typical, so I plan to try some other Nortons.

I do like cab franc. Does that grape hold up to bad winters?

 

[saddlebronze]

Norton is not growing well here in CT. I suggest Marquette for the Red, and Frontenac Blanc for a white. NJ may be different, but Norton is a tough wine to make and it must be blended.

 

[grapeman]

Cab Franc is one of the more hardy vinifera grapes but does need a good long, warm growing season to ripen enough to get rid of most of the herbaceous vegetal character it can get. Another vinifera that might work is Dornfelderbut that isn't really heavy in character.

Marquette will ripen well and can be made as a fairly hearty red with the right ferment heat and yeast.

 

[spaniel]

One often referred to is Jeff Cox's book From Vines to Wines
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1580171052/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This was all I needed to get started with my vineyard. I just re-purchased it (on Kindle, can't locate my paper copy) to study up on some things I'd forgotten.

My opinion is to go with what your area will support first, and your personal taste second. Your personal taste doesn't mean squat if a mildly cold winter kills your vines to the root after you have several years invested in them. I picked one borderline variety (only 5, fortunately) when I started and, you guessed it...the first winter we got some unusual but not unheard of cold for a few days, and come spring they were dead down to the root. I replanted with a hardier variety and never looked back.

I heard somewhere that you want to select vines that will survive the coldest day of the coldest winter every 20 years. Makes sense to me.

 

[Winehaus]

Chambourcin is one of my favorites and it does a pretty good big red wine. I prefer the spicey/peppery characteristic and all of the local wineries around here have that characteristic and make decent to great wine out of it. Even those wineries that still need to figure out their grapes. I have a carboy of my own going right now and at an early taste it seems very very similar to theirs. I'm all about consistency and this grape seems to have it. Plus it grows really well here in Kansas and survives the winters just fine.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

We have a lot of both norton and chambourcin wines in our area. Both can be made into very nice wines. They really do need aging though. I agree with Winehaus about the peppery taste for chambourcin, but in some wines, the amount of that flavor varies quite a bit. The main problem I have with the reds wines from around MO is that they have lots of oak to them. I am just not a fan of oak.

I went to a charity event that served wine awhile back and they were serving a local wineries wine. I've tasted their chambourcin before, but it was too spicy for my liking and over oaked, IMO (it was a 2011). At the event, they were serving a 2004 vintage. The aging dramatically took what was a spicy type, oaked wine with a little bite to a very mellow and smooth almost merlot type flavor. It was surprisingly better. So, if you are looking to make a big red, make sure you are prepared to let it sit for 5+ years.

 

[bigdrums2]

I've read that Norton doesn't age well. Well, that's hogwash. I opened a 2001 during Christmas and it was fantastic. It still had some of that big grape taste Norton delivers without overpowering. I do think it needs some oak though.

 

[JohnT]

I have feard that Norton REQUIRES aging due to the high level of tannins that grape tends to have. If the tannin levels are high, then I can not see how norton wouldn't age well.

 

[Winehaus]

I had heard it has an almost identical flavor pallet to cab sauv but that Norton is low on tannin and high on acid. Not sure which is true but that seems to be the popular thought around this area. I have yet to try making a Norton wine so I don't know for sure.

 

[bigdrums2]

If left on its skins for an extended maceration, norton will deliver plenty of tannins. It is also high in acid, therefore a Malo fermentation is a must as well as other methods to bring it down. Most people I talk with at the commercial wineries give it two-three years aging and oak is recommended. Some will blend with Chambourcin to soften it up, but a good norton delivers plenty to talk about.

 

[Winehaus]

Chambourcin to soften it? Not what I would expect plus I love that wine which its a single varietal. What kind of pH do people normally get with the Norton? This is a problem I've heard for trying to get rid of the acid taste.