Bought a house with two grape vines

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aeviaanah

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I bought a house with two grape vines. One is relatively small compared to the massive one near the fence. One grape is green and the other is purple. Fruit is starting to develop on both and I just fertilized. Any tips to growing these grapes to make my own wine? I've brewed for about a year now, have made fruit wine, mead, apfelwein. I'd really like a home grown wine. Can someone help with resources?
 
you have to prune the vines back in late winter so the vine focuses on fruit production...if you do this you will get a higher yield. you also have to pick the grapes at a precise time. You may have to use a fungicide in humid weather because your vines could catch a disease.... good luck to you.
 
you have to prune the vines back in late winter so the vine focuses on fruit production...if you do this you will get a higher yield. you also have to pick the grapes at a precise time. You may have to use a fungicide in humid weather because your vines could catch a disease.... good luck to you.
Thanks for the growing tips. Unfortunately I didnt prune them last year. How many grapes does it take to make a gallon of wine?
Do you know what cultivar of grapes these are?

No I am not sure, how can I find out?
 
How many grapes does it take to make a gallon of wine?

No I am not sure, how can I find out?

Typically 12-15-18# of fruit for one gallon of juice. You can take photos, variety of leaves along with fruit to local extension/agriculture office and they can usually identify. Any chance you can contact previous owners and inquire, or the neighbors may even know?
 
If you fertilized this year, hold off on doing so next year. The yields might be smaller, but you will get a better grape.

Having said that, if the red vine turns out to be Concord, grow them as big as possible(fertilizer, extra water) to offset the high acid content.
 
Do you have photo?
Not at the moment ill take one soon. I know one grape is green and the other is purple.
Typically 12-15-18# of fruit for one gallon of juice. You can take photos, variety of leaves along with fruit to local extension/agriculture office and they can usually identify. Any chance you can contact previous owners and inquire, or the neighbors may even know?
Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to do so come harvest.
If you fertilized this year, hold off on doing so next year. The yields might be smaller, but you will get a better grape.

Having said that, if the red vine turns out to be Concord, grow them as big as possible(fertilizer, extra water) to offset the high acid content.
What explains less fertilizer better fruit? I know more isn't always better but a full season without fertilizer. I'll just continue to give plenty of water, we have sandy soil here.
 
I want some vines badly! CA has 60 varieties of grape, many are table grapes, but hopefully your former resident was a winemaker. That's a beautiful area you live in. Kinda jealous!
 
Its true fertilizer will make for more and bigger fruit, but those fruit will not taste as good. I think of it as a pie. More grapes = more slices, but each one gets a smaller ammount of the flavors, acids, and tannins.
 
aeviaanah said:
Thanks for the growing tips. Unfortunately I didnt prune them last year. How many grapes does it take to make a gallon of wine?

Leaving 40 buds on a vigorous or moderately vigorous plant will yield approximately 1 gallon of juice per vine. Having said that, there are a lot of variables; including but not limited to; soil, vigor, pests(birds raccoons wasps neighbors, etc), disease, varietal, climate, growing season......
 
aeviaanah said:
Thanks for the growing tips. Unfortunately I didnt prune them last year. How many grapes does it take to make a gallon of wine?

Leaving 40 buds on a vigorous or moderately vigorous plant will yield approximately 1 gallon of juice per vine. Having said that, there are a lot of variables; including but not limited to; soil, vigor, pests(birds raccoons wasps neighbors, etc), disease, varietal, climate, growing season......

I dont quiet understand what you are sayin...can you rephrase?
 
Its true fertilizer will make for more and bigger fruit, but those fruit will not taste as good. I think of it as a pie. More grapes = more slices, but each one gets a smaller ammount of the flavors, acids, and tannins.

Similar to how oranges are I see? I have an orange tree as well. I always notice the small oranges taste better. Possibly there is so much flavor and at a certain point the flavor remains and is diluted with extra water inside the orange.
 
The rough rule is that you will get 1 gallon of juice from each vine.

But, there are a lot of factors to be included into that rough rule.
 
Here are a few pictures of my grape vines.
The first is the larger of the two, it is a purple grape.
photo2-7_zps69a1e29a.jpg


photo1-8_zpsebad2859.jpg



The second is a green grape
photo4-4_zpse840f0b9.jpg


photo3-5_zps4f72ef12.jpg
 
Similar to how oranges are I see? I have an orange tree as well. I always notice the small oranges taste better. Possibly there is so much flavor and at a certain point the flavor remains and is diluted with extra water inside the orange.

Never grown oranges myself, but it sounds like you have the right idea! :)
 
Well I've been back and forth and I've decided I don't want to give you wrong info. I thought petite syrha but now I'm not sure. The white I really can't call. Try this, UC DAvis, Integrated Viticulture. Then go to viticulture information. When the fruit starts to form you can compare better, plus they list soil preference and trimming per vine variety. If you dig you could prolly find an address to send a leaf clipping. I'm sure they would get it, ya ll just have so many varieties out there, plus hybrids.

Either way let me know I'm interested to find out......
 
For the record I'm going petite syrah and Chardonnay. Yup, that's my final answer.

You can tell that just by the shape of the leaf eh? I know its at best an educated guess. Ill look further into what they actually are. I appreciate it!
 
You can tell that just by the shape of the leaf eh? I know its at best an educated guess. Ill look further into what they actually are. I appreciate it!

Unable to determine your geographic locale with mobile...can you share where you are? Do not need to provide city. Just curious. Regardless, I know you are looking forward to harvesting your grapes.
 
aeviaanah said:
You can tell that just by the shape of the leaf eh? I know its at best an educated guess. Ill look further into what they actually are. I appreciate it!

Yeah, kinda. Except some are very close, and the valley youre in can grow more than I,m use to (niagara/ finger lakes/southeast Ga) That and by the bunch, I'm starting to see and trying ti imagine how the bunch will form out. Yes the leaves actually vary, I would need one and either get the sun ti shine through it, or use a microscope, the patterns and veins differ as well. In addition, yes the educated guess deduced from these two varatiels are both popular and most likely easy to find at a local nursery.

Cheers! Can't wait to see the bunch and a diagnoses!
 
Unable to determine your geographic locale with mobile...can you share where you are? Do not need to provide city. Just curious. Regardless, I know you are looking forward to harvesting your grapes.
Turlock, ca. Near Modesto.
Thanks for the link ill take a look when I get off work

Yeah, kinda. Except some are very close, and the valley youre in can grow more than I,m use to (niagara/ finger lakes/southeast Ga) That and by the bunch, I'm starting to see and trying ti imagine how the bunch will form out. Yes the leaves actually vary, I would need one and either get the sun ti shine through it, or use a microscope, the patterns and veins differ as well. In addition, yes the educated guess deduced from these two varatiels are both popular and most likely easy to find at a local nursery.

Cheers! Can't wait to see the bunch and a diagnoses!

I have a 30x (?) microscope I could take a few pictures. Small window on the microscope tho. Let me know if that would help
 
Well it won't change the type of vine. Just messin, na wait until it bunches out and check it against the UC Berkley site, then harvest, press, ferment, tell me what you taste and we'll finish this game!

Seriously, just taste them off the vine when they're ripe. If you would eat them and they're amazing, table grape. If you think something's not right, wine grape. I've seen people dig up vines because they're grApes went bad. Sad, sad, sad.
 
Well it won't change the type of vine. Just messin, na wait until it bunches out and check it against the UC Berkley site, then harvest, press, ferment, tell me what you taste and we'll finish this game!

Seriously, just taste them off the vine when they're ripe. If you would eat them and they're amazing, table grape. If you think something's not right, wine grape. I've seen people dig up vines because they're grApes went bad. Sad, sad, sad.

Alright I'll do that i take it you'll be around come harvest?
 
Been watering well once every 2-3 days. On saturday I sprayed some bacillus subtillus fungicide for a preventative treatment of powdery mildew. fruits are starting to take on weight
 
This is the smaller vine of the two. The back side of the leaves are a bit fuzzy.
photo1-8_zpsae3cb6fd.jpg


And here is the larger
photo3-5_zpsafce2f57.jpg


The larger vine closeup
photo2-7_zpsc0f8ff91.jpg
 
the way that they are forming and their size makes me think they are a table grape, like someone said earlier, wait until they ripen and if they are extremely sweet they are probably table variety...it doesn't mean you can't make wine out of them though, concord grapes can actually make a pretty decent sweet wine.
 
the way that they are forming and their size makes me think they are a table grape, like someone said earlier, wait until they ripen and if they are extremely sweet they are probably table variety...it doesn't mean you can't make wine out of them though, concord grapes can actually make a pretty decent sweet wine.
Ive tried them ripe before. They are bitter sweet. Not sure if it was the conditions they were grown in that year or if it was variety related.
 
well as far as sweetness goes, the more sun and less water typically the sweeter the grape will be which is why most vineyards back off their watering before ripening so the grape concentrates its sugars better. I am very confident that it is a table grape variety based on the oval shape of the grapes. I did some research and found a Thompson seedless variety that looks similar to yours but you will have to probably send some cuttings and even maybe a grape cluster to your local extension and they could probably figure it out 100%.

here is what I think it might be:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Seedless
 
well as far as sweetness goes, the more sun and less water typically the sweeter the grape will be which is why most vineyards back off their watering before ripening so the grape concentrates its sugars better. I am very confident that it is a table grape variety based on the oval shape of the grapes. I did some research and found a Thompson seedless variety that looks similar to yours but you will have to probably send some cuttings and even maybe a grape cluster to your local extension and they could probably figure it out 100%.

here is what I think it might be:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Seedless

interesting thanks for the link! the grapes do look very similar. i dont believe my other vine produces oval fruit. I think they are purple too
 
If the red variety tastes tannic and not sugary its probably a wine variety. If the grapes get very large and they are sugary its probably a table red. Too me, both varieties look ovular which is what makes me think they are both table. Keep after it and let us know.
 
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