Need help deciding on what grapes to grow

[brandont02]

I'm trying to decide what grapes to grow in my back yard. I live in Nebraska, so they'll have to be fairly cold hardy. I want something as close to cabernet sauvingon as I can get. I'm looking at Norton, but some of the things I've read sound like it's a tough grape to grow. I will only be ordering 7-8 vines.

 

[RedSun]

I asked similar question before, but it is hard to get an answer.

First, there are many grape varieties and it is hard to choose the "best". There are just so many variables to consider. A lot of the folks here only grow limited varieties and it is hard to compare.

I think for your climate, it is not the hardiness, but you need a grape with a shorter growing season. Grape needs a long season to ripe properly. In your region, you may get early bud damage, and late frost damage. So you need a variety that would bud late and ripe early. Clearly this would be American or hybrid grape.

The good thing is that you only grow 7 vines...

 

[grapeman]

I think you haven't gotten much response because you are asking for a cold climate type grape that is very close to Cab Sauv. There really just isn't anything all that close. That's not to say that there aren't any good ones, just not that close to the Cab. What is your hardiness zone where you are? I ask that because it is so important to your success and it varies a lot in your state. It is similar to where I am in very northern NY and we can grow quite a few varieties and most ripen well. Look through the Double A Vineyards website (www.rakgrape.com) and they have a lot that will work for you. I would suggest Marquette or Petite Pearl as a couple that would do well for reds. Frontenac sounds good but is a very high acid grape and if you have an off year, you are dealing with flavored battery acid.

 

[brandont02]

Thanks for the info guys. I know it's a tough question to answer. I am in zone 5, but I think zone 4 starts just a hair north of me. I've been on double a's website, and that's where I'm going to order from. I've tried a local Marquette, and wasn't terribly impressed. It was good, but looking for something different that I'll be making for years to come. I've never heard of petite pearl so I'll have to look into that one.

 

[GreginND]

It's getting a bit late to order vines now. Hopefully someone will still have some vines. I know of two places that sell petite pearl:

Dell Schott at Bevin's Creek Nursery in Minnesota http://www.petitepearlgrape.com

Northeast Vine Supply in Vermont https://www.nevinesupply.com

Petite pearl is one of the newest cold-hardy red varieties. It was bred by Tom Plocher in Minnesota. It is quite hardy and produces small tight clusters of grapes. It is slower growing than Marquette or Frontenac with medium vigor. It has good disease resistance. The grapes are more complex than other cold-hardy red grapes and the wine benefits from oak aging.

I would not discount Marquette. It is not a hugely heavy wine but when done right has a wonderful cherry background. I like to use med-toast oak chips in the primary to give it a bit more tannin and aged in French or Hungarian oak it takes on a nice oak structure to balance the cherry. It has Pinot Noir in its lineage but is not quite as light as a pinot. I think it is best made in a similar style, though, and tastes great around the 2-3 year mark.

 

[RedSun]

Again, you'll need to search for short-season grape vines. Even if you have a vine hardy to zone 3, the flowers or buds can still be injured in April or May if you get a late frost. Then you lose one year's crop.

I've seen this with folks in West Texas. They often got late frost. Not only they lose flowers, but some fruit trees got killed. The leaf-out vines and trees are much tender than dormant plants.