grapevine nurseries

Double A Vineyards

I've ordered vines from them in the past, and their stuff is top notch. Excellent quality vines.

Ditto Doug's recommendation. I ordered 6 vines from Double A and they are excellant people to do business with. They couldn't have treated me better if I had ordered 600 vines.

I looked them up before I posted and they are mainly a cold-region grape nursery. They don't carry any of the grapes that do better in my warm climate like merlot or tempranillo. They do have a shiraz but I worry any cultivars they have would be more suited to upstate New York than mediterranean San Diego. Thanks for the input. I still get a thrill about how the internet has made this kind of dialog possible. And if I still lived in Ithaca, I would be all set. Thanks again.

Since you didn't include any context, I have to assume that you're referring to the two posts that have suggested you look at Double A Vineyards.

If so... perhaps you need to look again:

They do indeed sell warm climate vines including Merlot and Cab Sauv, but you have to scroll all the way to the end of the document to see them.

They are all on an east coast cold weather rootstock or on their own roots which will not do well here-different soil types etc... That has been the elusive part of this search. Lots of nurseries sell winegrapes on their own roots but the locals tell me they will only last a few years before secumbing to disease. Hence the need for the specific rootstock which can handle the drought stress of this climate, the alkaline, rocky soil, and allow for the proper absorption of some important micronutrients like magnesium which greatly affect the characteristics of the wines, especially the reds of which I am interested.

I have emailed Double A to see if they are willing to do some small contract growing with cultivars suited to my climate and on a rootstock that will flourish here. The material is available from a California university program to vineyards and certifies its material as disease free. They have everything I need but they won't sell to me since I am just a homeowner growing for fun and in small quantities.

If I could find a source for even a single plant of the rootstock, I would try the grafting myself. But that would only give me the syrah and merlot. The tempranillo is a spanish variety which as yet is uncommon in the states and only available from a couple of California sources(as far as I know) who only sell to commercial endeavors. My research has shown that this grape is well suited to my climate and would be great for blending with the other two. If I could grow a good cabernet here I would but cabernet does not produce good flavor here according to other growers in the area so the tempranillo would give my blends a similar characteristic while adding a little spanish zing.

As you can probably tell, I'm a little anal about getting the right stock. There are easier ways to go about this but I want to do things right the first time and don't want to waste my precious water resources growing vines that end up failing or producing inferior product.

Thanks for all your help. I'm crossing my fingers that I get a positive response from Double A vineyards.

Figaro, Phylloxera is the major reason for using grafted vines. But, there is no is Phylloxera in San Diego County, and I know of many vineyards that are planted on their own roots. I planted Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Ramona about fourteen years ago. These vines are on their own roots and they are going well. Lum Del Mar, California, USA

figaro - Try a couple of California nurseries that I've done business with; Vintage Nursery ~

The email address for Kendal Jackson is for Ernie Bowman. He's the General Manager and was quite nice to deal with...provided me with Cab. Sauvignon, specific clone, specific root stock for my vineyard.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

Thank you for the info. How does your Cabernet turn out? This will make my life much easier. I just wish the farm bureau was a little more helpful when I tried to get these questions answered 6 months ago so I would not have done all that research into rootstocks. It seems that there are as many wrong answers as right answers when you are dealing with government agencies. I have been told that Cabernet does not produce quality grapes here due to the heat? True/false? Any problems with your Merlot quality? Know of anyone growing Tempranillo in the area? Thanks again for your help.

________________________ Figaro, Phylloxera is the major reason for using grafted vines. But, there is no is Phylloxera in San Diego County, and I know of many vineyards that are planted on their own roots. I planted Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Ramona about fourteen years ago. These vines are on their own roots and they are going well. Lum Del Mar, California, USA

On a scale of 1 - 10 (Two-buck Chuck = 5). I rate the Cab = 5, Merlot = 8 and the Chardonnay = 4. Not being able to do better than Two-buck Chuck is a humbling experience, considering the time, effort and expense involved.

Generalizing about grape varieties is difficult because there are so many micro climates in the San Diego area. Cabernet wines are good when the grapes are grown near the coast. I have been making wine from a Cab vineyard located in a cool area about 10 or 12 miles from the coast and the wine has a distinctive herbaceous character that is typical of cool climate Cabernet. It seems to be too hot inland for good Cabernet, but Merlot and Syrah seem to do very well.

I know of one, small Tempranillo vineyard in the Ramona area. But, it is only two years old and hasn't produced a crop yet.

You might find additional info at the San Diego Amateur Winemaking Society web site

Lum Del Mar, California, USA

Thank you all for the great information. I should have come here first. Happy drinking!