We had an unusually damp summer and only a few hundred degree days this year. My grapes are all starting to sweeten, but I am seeing a little powdery mildew. On 99% of the bunches, the color is good and no damage but the little undeveloped bunches that sometimes develop when a fruiting cane branches are really ugly. Shrivelled and moldy. A few (out of 300 vines) have shed leaves on the bottom half of the canes, but the fruit looks fine. I use a close spacing (4 x5) and have to hedge to keep the vinyard open. The obvious powder on the leaves is only in the heaviest, dampest areas, and there you definitely smell the mildew, and I smell it in the bunches too, although that could be imaginary. They look fine, nice color, plump full berries etc. My question: Is this wine going to get a musty /moldy taste?
Powdery mildew
Aug 22, 2004
2 Replies
A suggestion would be to remove any bunches on laterals. They usually will not ripen fully and they are just using energy that the main fruiting zone needs. These clusters are common when you have to hedge vines because hedging encourages laterals which often bear clusters.
Suggest you sulphite after crush and cold soak overnight before starting fermentation.
Here is a good reference for you:
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BTW - I will be in Idaho for two weeks starting next Saturday. Any suggestions on good vineyards and wineries to visit?
The Eagle winery is having a big wine tasting weekend the 28th. I am told there will be wine from every winery in Idaho.
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This site has a list of local wineries:
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This part of Idaho is great for growing grapes (climate very similar to the Columbia Basin), has about 600,000 population in an area about 30 miles x
100 miles, and still >Join the Discussion
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