Monday, January 19, 2009

Wine Grapes for Western Washington

After researching Low Grow Degree Day (1600 GDD) grape varietals I was hired to plant a small vinyard here in Sequim WA. I took cuttings of the plantings and have the following ungrafted grapes. They are one gallon size and are available to sell. There are four white wine grapes and the reds will be available for next year. These will only be sold to WA. buyers. 6.00 ea.

Wine grapes

White Wine Varietals

German

Siegerrebe -- A (Madeleine Angevine X Siegerrebe) cross. One of the earliest varieties to ripen. This variety makes an excellent fruity wine with spice and light fruit aromas. It has grown in Western WA for over 25 years and probably would be my first choice in any vineyard.

Muller Thurgau -- is a white-blush wine that produces less fruit than most but is very vigorous vine and makes a deliciously sweet desert wine. Poundage of grapes per vine is less than most others.

FRENCH

Madeleine Angevine. This variety makes a fruity white wine with citrus aroma and a note of apricots. It is productive but is susceptible to fruit rot. This grape variety needs intense watching as the grapes mature. If successful it is beyond belief!

Pinot Gris like Muller Thurgau this is a less productive variety, but makes for a great white fruity spicy wine.

MIx or match, my own suggestion being that rows of 8 plants per variety is a minimum to give you anything of a yield to produce some gallon-age. The best varieties can yield up to 20 lbs. per vine (depending on climate, site and choice of cultivar) the low end of the scale can be only FIVE pounds of grapes per vine. Hence Muller Thurgau is often bottled in beer sized bottles for the same price of others.


These REDS are available NEXT YEAR - contact me in the spring.

Regent (Two years from now) A Sylvaner x with Mueller-Thurgau. This hybid tastes like a vinifera and is very disease resistant. Loose clusters make a very good red wine and its disease resistance makes this an ideal choice for the organic grower of for the home winemaker

Dunkelfelder A very dark red juice that is used to blend with other wines. High acid content. A teinturier grape with VERY red juice, acid levels at harvest tend to be high. Potentially high sugar levels, but I doubt they will achieve this in our 1600 GDD (Growing degree days) I suspect its use will be as a blender -- possibly with Dornfelder.

Dornfelder A vigorous vine that may actually tend to overproduce. Clusters should be thinned out. Sugar levels tend to be low and acid levels can drop fast just prior to harvest. Another good grape to blend with others.

OTHERS

Ortega (Two years from now) An early ripening white wine grape with high sugar levels and low acidity. This is a very promising new hybrid and is a gross between Muller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe -- both of are GREAT!

Norwegian Muscat. I am very excited about this grapes prospects. I think that this will be an outstanding producer. This is a very early Muscat red grape with a unique flavor. Early ripening with large berries in big clusters. Excellent for eating and makes a fruity white wine..


You are bidding on a well established one gallon can, One plus year old plants.

I will ship ONLY to WA. addresses!

PLANTING INFO ...... Zones 8 and higher

  • North America
  • Height up to 6ft
  • White and Red grapes
  • Full sun Good exposure
  • Cold hardy to zone 8
  • Needs well drained sunny locations

HYPERLINKED USDA CLIMATE ZONE MAP


4 comments:

  1. This year was my first to harvest and do some wine-making. By far my favorites are Madeleine Angevine, Mueller Thurgau, Dornfelder and Muscat of Norway. Of those only the Dornfelder had grapes large enough to be table eating quality.

    Bric was in the 19 to 21 level. All were on the acid side, something to mitigate next year by yeast choice or additives.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How how did the wines turn out? I'm especially interested in the Muscat of Norway (Norwegian Muscat)

    Robert on Whidbey

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  3. Dornfelder and Dunklefeder as well as Norwegian Muscat did well. I would recommend any of those three. The white grapes did less well, with Madeleine Angevine and Mueller Thurgau doing the best.

    That said, the weather we had in that year had been the best I can remember in 30 years. Last year even the wild blackberries did not ripen and this year I did not even bother to take care of the grapes. Spring was wet, summer non-existent and a fall that was cool as well.

    Not a good work investment at all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UPDATE:

    Hello to all. I just want you to know that I have been quite busy with

    now THREE new websites as the ones here at Google lost many of my

    pictures - so what you got to see where a lot of red x's. Rather than

    having that happen to
    me I got myself some domain names and created three sites.

    They are in order:
    On rocks - like rocks to gems.
    My plant and gardening site.
    Lastly is my Recipe page, some geneology and an article page that ranges

    from politics to the environment. I would like to invite you to visit.

    http://www.sweetgeodes.com/
    http://www.sequimplants.com/
    http://www.sweetgeodes.com/senft/

    Herb

    ReplyDelete