I've been brewing for about 5 years and have become very intersted in wine over the last little while. I have made Apfelwein, but would like to make wine. Is there any means of getting rootstock for planting vines at home? Is that even the correct term? I'm looking for the wine equivilent of hop rhizomes. I am not too interested in wine kits, more in the "terroir" of my own region. Thanks in advance for the help.
Don't know about your area, but my Lowe's has grape plants during the bare-root season (early Winter or late Fall).
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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
I would start by asking your local extension office.
After that, there is a nursery here called Raintree Nursery that does sell wine grapes grafted on 3309 and 101-14 rootstock (I do not know what that really means for production, size, soils, etc). So look around and you will probably find something.
I would recommend talking to one of your local wineries, they know what the next up and coming grapes are going to be. They will tell you about anything you need to know. I live in Nebraska, and we have French American Hybrids that we make wine out of. If the winery grows grapes they will know what grows the best and makes the best wine, and will also recommend how to care for them. Trust me growing grapes is not as easy as you think! You will need to get on a regular spray program to take care of your black rot, and downy mildew, not to mention pests. To make good wine you need to start with the best fruit, otherwise there is no chance of making good wine. If you get some plants it will take 3 years before you get any fruit off it, and from then on you can take cuttings off your plant to propagate some new plants.
I would recommend talking to one of your local wineries, they know what the next up and coming grapes are going to be. They will tell you about anything you need to know. I live in Nebraska, and we have French American Hybrids that we make wine out of. If the winery grows grapes they will know what grows the best and makes the best wine, and will also recommend how to care for them. Trust me growing grapes is not as easy as you think! You will need to get on a regular spray program to take care of your black rot, and downy mildew, not to mention pests. To make good wine you need to start with the best fruit, otherwise there is no chance of making good wine. If you get some plants it will take 3 years before you get any fruit off it, and from then on you can take cuttings off your plant to propagate some new plants.
I had an experience where I asked a pear farmer some stuff about pears, and he told me not to grow them but to buy them from him. He didn't want me to "neglect" them and they get disease and then it spreads to other farms and then to him. The whole experience made me shy, so when I started talking to a cider producer asking trade secrets, I was totally expecting him not to tell me stuff, and he did. Point to all this is, if one vineyard won't talk to you, keep trying!
Check this out and make your decisions based on where you are located for climate.
If you have any other questions about growing grapes, or making wine out of Hybrid grapes let me know. I grow about 3600 plants of 8 different French America hybrids.
I had an experience where I asked a pear farmer some stuff about pears, and he told me not to grow them but to buy them from him. He didn't want me to "neglect" them and they get disease and then it spreads to other farms and then to him. The whole experience made me shy, so when I started talking to a cider producer asking trade secrets, I was totally expecting him not to tell me stuff, and he did. Point to all this is, if one vineyard won't talk to you, keep trying!
We have to take all out cuttings from the year and either remove them from the vineyard, or burn them. They usually have black rot spores, and many other rot spores that could potently f up you whole crop. We spray fungicides a lot during flowering period of the grapes because this is when the plants are most susceptible for getting the disease.
Whew! Thanks everyone! Yeah, from growing hops for 3 years I don't expect grapes to be easy at all, I just think it would be cool. Thanks again fo rthe help and the sweet links!
Rootstock?
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