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Grape Growing Guides
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Growing Grapes in West Virginia - Another good guide, also for those on the East Coast. Produced by The West Virginia University Extension Service. |
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Growing Grapes in Kentucky - Another thorough guide. |
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Viticultural Practices for the Midwest - For those living in the Midwest, Alan Dillard of Limestone Creek Viticultural Resources wrote a very thorough paper that guides you from grape selection though pest management. |
Grape Varieties / Rootstocks
Selecting the variety's) to plant requires careful consideration. Not only should the vine be compatible to your climate, the fruit it produces must also be in demand. Check out other vineyards in your area to see what kind of success they've had. Also, the wineries in your area will most likely be happy to consult with you on grape varieties.
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The Vitis International Variety Catalogue - A large and impressive catalog containing thousands of varieties. (It can be quite slow to access). |
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Resistant Rootstocks for New York Vineyards - Own rooted or grafted? Cornell University provides some answers here. |
Training and Pruning
Grapevine training and pruning will significantly affect the quality and quantity of the grapes (and wine) that you produce. Fortunately, there is no shortage of trellis design and pruning techniques available. Most of the links in the 'Vineyard Establishment List' above contain some information about trellis design.
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The Economics of Wine Production in Virginia - The Virginia Cooperative Extension Office's interesting comparison of training systems and vine spacing. |
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Home Fruit Production: Grape Training Systems - Another nice, basic guide written by the University of Missouri-Columbia Dept of Horticulture |
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Grapes: Cultivars, Training and Pruning - A University of Nebraska guide that offers a good overview of general grapevine care. |
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Hot Climates and Growtubes - The benefits of using Growtubes (vineshelters) are many. But there are also a few drawbacks - by George Ray McEachern, Professor and Extension Horticulturist, Texas A&M University. |
Irrigation
Not all areas are blessed with adequate rainfall, and even those that are sometimes experience periods of drought. Providing the vine with the water it needs when it needs it can be guaranteed with an irrigation system.
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To Irrigate or Not to Irrigate - That's the question addressed by Dr. Tony K. Wolf, Virginia Tech & Virginia State University Viticulture Extension Specialist. |
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Water Stress Influences on Winegrape Concentrations - This article by Ryan Leininger of Jack Neal and Son, looks into the relationship between berry size and water availability. |
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Why Use Drip Irrigation? - Drip Works (an irrigation supplier) examines the benefits of drip. |
Vine Nutrition and Health
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Soil pH and Mineral Nutrition of Vitis vinifera Varieties - While written for the New York state area, this Cornell University paper contains plenty of general information about vinifera varieties. |
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Grapevine Nutrition: Secondary Nutrients - This article by Bryan Rahn, Soil Scientist/Viticulturist for Jack Neal and Son, explains the role of micro-nutrients. |
Pests, Diseases & Pesticides
Birds, deer, insects, and diseases can adversely affect vine health and harvest quality. Rare is the vineyard that can avoid them completely; most of us will have to deal with some (or all) of them from time to time. Pest eradication is difficult (if not impossible) to achieve, therefore we must focus on preventative / suppressive measures for management. To minimize the economic and environmental risks associated with pest management, we need to combine the use of biological, physical, cultural and chemical tactics.
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Direct Pests of Grape - A list of pests affecting grapes (those affecting fruit, buds and young clusters) in the Virginia-West Virginia region. This information is taken from the extension bulletin "Major Insect and Mite Pests of Grape in Virginia" (1986) by D. G. Pfeiffer & P. B. Schultz. |
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Online Integrated Pest Management Guide - The University of California's excellent source about diseases, insects, nematodes, weeds, along with lists of symptoms and treatment guidelines (includes photos). |
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Esca and Grapevine Declines - Report on the 1st International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases. From the December 1999 issue of Wine Business Monthly. |
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Electric Deer Fence Installation - View several fence configurations at the KenCove Fence Company website. |
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Bulletin 242 - Maryland Commercial Small Fruit Production Guide - The University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service publishes this informative production guide. Of particular interest is the section on Grape Disease and Insect Control Recommendations. |
Research
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Grape Growers' / Winery Associations
Vineyard Supplies
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Orchard Valley Supply No Vines... No Wines...Just Everything In Between 888-755-0098 |
Online Publications/News Publications
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Viticulture Notes - A bi-monthly technical newsletter available on a subscription basis of $12.00 per year. Contact Tony K. Wolf at 595 Laurel Grove Rd., Winchester VA 22602. |
Miscellaneous Stuff
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Take the Vineyard Challenge! - This is a virtual game by McCarty Company that let's you try your hand at building and managing a vineyard (without leaving your chair!). |
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The Virtual Corkscrew Museum - No kidding! |