Starting a Vineyard - by Dave Greenlee
We’ve always enjoyed gardening. Running across some grape growing literature and conversations with friends sparked our interest. In 2003, we decided to give it a try, but purely as a hobby. Sue bought a book, A Guide to Organic Viticulture by Lon Rombough, and she followed it to the letter. We fenced off a small area of the horse pasture in 2003, ordered unrooted cuttings of about eight varieties, started them on heat mats in the basement, and planted the ones that took root making eight short rows of a dozen plants each. Dave researched and experimented with trellising methods. Some of the varieties we tried to grow were just not hardy enough for life in South Dakota and we gave up on them after replanting a couple of times and switched to different varieties. Most of the varieties we now have were developed as “cold hardy” varieties by Elmer Swenson, and/or the University of Minnesota. We are very glad we started small and made mistakes on a small scale. For instance, we learned the hard way that our blue vine shelters need to be removed by mid-August so that the plants can harden off properly and get ready for winter. In the first year or two, the vine shelters protect the vine from herbicides and rabbits, and train the vines up the bamboo stake to a trellis wire.
We have harvested the oldest vines several times now, and are beginning to figure some things out. To know when to harvest, we use a refractometer to measure the amount of sugar in brix. This is one of the most important indicators that the grapes are ready. Each variety has its own optimal parameters. From those first vines, we usually harvest about 500 pounds of grapes from 40 plants. In 2006 we planted a row of vines along the highway right-of-way. They are blooming well now and we got our first crop of LaCrescent white wine grapes in fall 2008. Attending the 2006 Minnesota Grape Growers Annual Cold-Hardy Grape Conference was a milestone event where we met many helpful people and got to meet many of the South Dakota vineyard and winery owners for the first time. About then, we decided this might be a good business to phase into as we retire from our “day jobs”. We purchased more land surrounding our acreage in fall 2006. We then had room to expand the vineyard in an area that was optimal for grapes – southern exposure and cold air drainage. In 2007, we fenced 13 acres with 8-foot tall high-tensile woven wire game fence to keep the deer out. With the generous help of family and friends we planted our first full acre of plants. Of the 565 plants, all but two grew. Over Memorial Day weekend 2008, the second acre was planted. In 2009, another acre and a half were planted. And so it goes.
As we gradually plant more vines within the deer fence area, the clock is clicking on our future harvest. If the plants continue to winter well and we get decent growing seasons, the acre planted in 2007 should yield a commercial size crop in 2010, and the numbers go up from there. A rule of thumb is that each mature vine yields about 10-15 pounds of grapes which makes about three bottles of wine. We are still experimenting with and learning about the winemaking process to get ready for that part of the operation. There is a lot to learn, but our early attempts have been quite successful. There are a number of cold-hardy wine grapes that are good for white wine. We are growing Frontenac Gris, (that has very nice apricot notes), Brianna (that has a pineapple taste), St. Pepin (good for fruity late harvest wine and makes excellent sweet desert wine), and La Crescent (fruity, like Gewurztraminer). For red varieties, most cold hardy grapes end up being harvested with high acidity that creates some challenges in the winemaking process. We are growing some St. Croix, Frontenac and a few Sabrevois from the "hobby vineyard", but we have planted mostly Marquette. Marquette is a promising new release from the University of Minnesota, patented in 2006. It has Pinot Noir in its heritage, tends to be lower acid, and we think this will be a very special grape for us. We may be the first South Dakota vineyard to sell Marquette wine commercially, if all goes as planned. Very little is known about this variety, and we are pleased to be involved in this "research project".
We also have some cold-hardy table grape varieties that are delightful to eat and to make into juice. For example, we have Sommerset Seedless and Bluebell table grapes, excellent for eating and for jams and jelly. So far, our favorite is the Swenson Red. It is crisp and sweet and has flavors of honey and strawberry. It was also Elmer Swenson’s favorite. Elmer is quite a legend in cold-hardy grape breeding. Before he passed away a couple years ago, Elmer was at a grape growing workshop in Minneapolis, and Sue got to meet him! His enthusiasm and charm is one of the things that got us pumped up about growing cold hardy grapes. Not long ago, people experimented with grape varieties that were not hardy enough to withstand South Dakota winters. These varieties were taken down from the trellises and buried for the winter. Even then, there were significant losses and damage to the grapes when they were taken off the trellis. That's a lot of work! Because of Elmer and others who have developed cold hardy varieties, we are working only with varieties that grow much as a fruit tree or bush without special accommodations. We only irrigate the first year to help them get started, spray for powdery mildew, train them on the trellises, and prune them in the winter. We have learned that grapes are widely adaptable plants, but the variety must be matched to the place they are grown. Pruning and training do take considerable time but its not really hard work. The plants are quite tough, but they do have one problem, especially in our country, where row crops and pasture are around us - they are very susceptible to damage from herbicide, especially 2-4D. We post signs and ask that our neighbors spray late in the year after the leaves have dropped, but we have concerns about the potential for drift when the wind is right. We have already seen some damage, but we are more fortunate than others we know.
Our vineyard is named Tucker’s Walk Vineyard for our Afghan Hound “Tucker”, who passed away in 2006. Sue and Tucker went on some wonderful morning and evening walks in virtually every corner of the property. Tucker taught us how important it is to sometimes just “sit and look”. The dream of a vineyard was hatched during these walks. We now have two Afghan Hounds, Joey and Miranda, who help us every day with our vineyard work. We welcome friends and neighbors to contact us for a tour, and we welcome their participation in planting in the spring, and harvesting in the fall.
dave@tuckerswalk.com
We have harvested the oldest vines several times now, and are beginning to figure some things out. To know when to harvest, we use a refractometer to measure the amount of sugar in brix. This is one of the most important indicators that the grapes are ready. Each variety has its own optimal parameters. From those first vines, we usually harvest about 500 pounds of grapes from 40 plants. In 2006 we planted a row of vines along the highway right-of-way. They are blooming well now and we got our first crop of LaCrescent white wine grapes in fall 2008. Attending the 2006 Minnesota Grape Growers Annual Cold-Hardy Grape Conference was a milestone event where we met many helpful people and got to meet many of the South Dakota vineyard and winery owners for the first time. About then, we decided this might be a good business to phase into as we retire from our “day jobs”. We purchased more land surrounding our acreage in fall 2006. We then had room to expand the vineyard in an area that was optimal for grapes – southern exposure and cold air drainage. In 2007, we fenced 13 acres with 8-foot tall high-tensile woven wire game fence to keep the deer out. With the generous help of family and friends we planted our first full acre of plants. Of the 565 plants, all but two grew. Over Memorial Day weekend 2008, the second acre was planted. In 2009, another acre and a half were planted. And so it goes.
As we gradually plant more vines within the deer fence area, the clock is clicking on our future harvest. If the plants continue to winter well and we get decent growing seasons, the acre planted in 2007 should yield a commercial size crop in 2010, and the numbers go up from there. A rule of thumb is that each mature vine yields about 10-15 pounds of grapes which makes about three bottles of wine. We are still experimenting with and learning about the winemaking process to get ready for that part of the operation. There is a lot to learn, but our early attempts have been quite successful. There are a number of cold-hardy wine grapes that are good for white wine. We are growing Frontenac Gris, (that has very nice apricot notes), Brianna (that has a pineapple taste), St. Pepin (good for fruity late harvest wine and makes excellent sweet desert wine), and La Crescent (fruity, like Gewurztraminer). For red varieties, most cold hardy grapes end up being harvested with high acidity that creates some challenges in the winemaking process. We are growing some St. Croix, Frontenac and a few Sabrevois from the "hobby vineyard", but we have planted mostly Marquette. Marquette is a promising new release from the University of Minnesota, patented in 2006. It has Pinot Noir in its heritage, tends to be lower acid, and we think this will be a very special grape for us. We may be the first South Dakota vineyard to sell Marquette wine commercially, if all goes as planned. Very little is known about this variety, and we are pleased to be involved in this "research project".
We also have some cold-hardy table grape varieties that are delightful to eat and to make into juice. For example, we have Sommerset Seedless and Bluebell table grapes, excellent for eating and for jams and jelly. So far, our favorite is the Swenson Red. It is crisp and sweet and has flavors of honey and strawberry. It was also Elmer Swenson’s favorite. Elmer is quite a legend in cold-hardy grape breeding. Before he passed away a couple years ago, Elmer was at a grape growing workshop in Minneapolis, and Sue got to meet him! His enthusiasm and charm is one of the things that got us pumped up about growing cold hardy grapes. Not long ago, people experimented with grape varieties that were not hardy enough to withstand South Dakota winters. These varieties were taken down from the trellises and buried for the winter. Even then, there were significant losses and damage to the grapes when they were taken off the trellis. That's a lot of work! Because of Elmer and others who have developed cold hardy varieties, we are working only with varieties that grow much as a fruit tree or bush without special accommodations. We only irrigate the first year to help them get started, spray for powdery mildew, train them on the trellises, and prune them in the winter. We have learned that grapes are widely adaptable plants, but the variety must be matched to the place they are grown. Pruning and training do take considerable time but its not really hard work. The plants are quite tough, but they do have one problem, especially in our country, where row crops and pasture are around us - they are very susceptible to damage from herbicide, especially 2-4D. We post signs and ask that our neighbors spray late in the year after the leaves have dropped, but we have concerns about the potential for drift when the wind is right. We have already seen some damage, but we are more fortunate than others we know.
Our vineyard is named Tucker’s Walk Vineyard for our Afghan Hound “Tucker”, who passed away in 2006. Sue and Tucker went on some wonderful morning and evening walks in virtually every corner of the property. Tucker taught us how important it is to sometimes just “sit and look”. The dream of a vineyard was hatched during these walks. We now have two Afghan Hounds, Joey and Miranda, who help us every day with our vineyard work. We welcome friends and neighbors to contact us for a tour, and we welcome their participation in planting in the spring, and harvesting in the fall.
dave@tuckerswalk.com