Advise for Vineyard Establishment

A little word of advise to anyone wanting to start a vineyard. Beware of anyone in the area trying to talk you into growing what they are growing because of regional identity. That may be the most selfish act of all. Instead of encouraging you to branch out and explore different varities they discourage it. Lots of ego's at work in the industry disguised as "regional identity". The last thing they want is for you to show them up or be regarded as the vineyard that brought the "new" grape to the area. Being the first is a big deal with these insecure people. Just check out how proud Steve is about being the pioneer of Regent. Once a vineyard is planted it's not likely yo be dug up and planted with other vines. If Traimanette took kindly to the Puget Sound area and blew the doors off the "regional identity grapes", there would be many bitter people in the area.

Nobody needs to worry about me for competition, I have found that every single person that grows wine commercially or for themselves to be extremely helpful, open, friendly enthusiastic, encouraging, supportive and intellegent people with the exception of one person. thank you help!

So the Puget Sound is striving to have the identity of the German hybrid viticultural capital of the US?

Jay,

Go back and read the first post in this thread. It's very revealing.

That has been my experience also.

I talked to a few nurseries that will ship Traminette to WA, they suggested I try Cayuga and Seyval Blanc ...more whites I don't have a clue about. some of the Vineyard / Nurseries say its doesn't ripen before Chard, they were actually very unclear about the whole thing, saying it "ripens early september" knowing they are in MO or TN, and I am in WA and then I would ask well how does that compare to Pinot Gris or Chard and they would say "early september", I also found out that the Chard grown here is cl 76 which apparently ripens a week before other clones so Traminette might ripen at the same time but if it is more disease resistant and makes great wine I should give it a try. I think I am going to plant just couple vines each of Traminette, Pinot Gris, and Sieggerebbe to see how they grow, produce and ripen where I am. I guess I'll start drinking some white wine(woe is me). I am going to cut all my vines numbers down to enough for 20G batches before planting anything more.

as for now my new plan

35 Regent

Rambough says don't bother getting a soil analyasis and mulch the heck out of your planting sight, Jeff Cox says follow your soil analysis and don't mulch unless you have almost no organic matter.

ok, adjustment made...thanks for the good advise

Paul, How do you compare the wine you make from Traminette, its ease to vinify quality etc from its parent Gewurztraminer. Appararantly Gewurtraminer is easy to grow organically or otherwise in the Puget Sound so the locals I asked about Traminette...just said grow Gewurtraminer. Jason

From a web link.

"Gewürztraminer has a trailing growth habit, and if planted on deep, fertile soils it may be vigorous depending on training and prun- ing. It is prone to poor fruit set, and thus is considered to be low yielding. Widely spaced rows should be avoided if possible in order to increase planting density and yield per acre. Gewürztraminer’s early budbreak makes it sensitive to frost. " "Gewürztraminer is not a highly productive vari- ety since it is prone to coulure. Yields can vary considerably from year to year"

"Gewürztraminer’s short bunch stem makes hand harvesting difficult. "

"Gewürztraminer’s small, tight clusters make it susceptible to Botrytis bunch rot. Older vine- yards commonly carry virus disease"

Besides that is seems like a good grape.

Almost the exact opposite. Late bud break, disease resistant, bigger clusters, moderately early harvest, cold hardy, big producer.

Well, apparently the people that grow it , make wine from it here just dandy, just doesn't sell cause the locals buy the Siegerrebe and the average consumer rather buy Pinot Gris or Chard.

It might not sell because it may be too expensive if the yeilds aren't that high, you lose fruit due to frost and you're spending money spraying it all season. If it didn't sell, then rename it something like "Summer Frost".

I worked at a vineyard that grew Gewurtraminer. This particular vineyard had problems growing it. It was prone to rot. One other vineyard I know that grows it claims it is not too much of a problem for them. They grow it on close spacing and cane prune. You can also grow it own rooted so it is easy to propagate

I like the bouquet and taste a lot better in Traminette and it produces very well with big clusters, good sugars and the grower I buy from about 10 miles from me does not have problems growing it. Of course, being in the humid and wet Mid Atlantic spraying is still necessary.

Well Paul, if you say the wine is better I am going to give Traminette a shot, see how it goes, that plus Siegerrebe and some Pinot Gris, Just curious where did you work that grew Gewurtaminer??

I worked at Windham Winery, now called Doukenie Winery

The winery that does not seem to have a problem growing Gewurtz is Elk Run Winery

Doukenie grew their Gewurtz on 6 foot spaced Cordon Spur pruned vines Elk grows theirs on 3 feet spaced cane pruned vines.

The trend around here now is short spacing and cane pruning.

The theory goes that the can pruned vines have less old wood for the fungi to overwinter. Some growers claim it has cut down their disease problems a LOT.

Thanks Paul !!!, it seems alot of growers in the puget sound cane prune as well...well in a few years I might be asking you for Traminette vinification tips!

It makes itself. The only thing I do that some others do not do is cold soak overnight with screw top plastic jugs partially filled with water and frozen and put in with the crushed grapes. ( Oh, to have a jacketed stainless tank ) I just do this overnight and press the next morning. I think it brings out a lot more aromatics. I even did this on Chardonnay this year and I seem to have gotten very good aromatics.