I know it's a big ask. I'm just trying to do the best I can, but I know this isn't the south of france. I want to grow red and white wines.
I am close to London, with a few allotment plots, so it should produce enough for personal consumption.
I have chatted to other people with established vines here, and to be honest they don't seem to know much. People just chuck in the ground whatever was handed to them, and drink the resulting homebrew. They even admit it isn't great wine.
So I'd like to be a little more prepared than that, but I am obviously limited with my soil type.
It is heavy clay soil, that goes down about 1-2ft before it hits solid clay.
I know I can mound up with raised beds to improve the situation, and indeed I have tried to improve the soil over many years with lime, gypsum and organic matter, but it hasn't improved much.
Anyway, is there a list of UK friendly varieties based on soil type. I've made quite a collection of vines that are stuck in pots at the moment: Seyval blanc, Dornfelder, Bacchus, chardonnay, Reichensteiner, Schoenberger, Pinot Noir, Regent.
But I don't know which would be best suited to my conditions. I am willing to put the work in.
Thanks
I am close to London, with a few allotment plots, so it should produce enough for personal consumption.
I have chatted to other people with established vines here, and to be honest they don't seem to know much. People just chuck in the ground whatever was handed to them, and drink the resulting homebrew. They even admit it isn't great wine.
So I'd like to be a little more prepared than that, but I am obviously limited with my soil type.
It is heavy clay soil, that goes down about 1-2ft before it hits solid clay.
I know I can mound up with raised beds to improve the situation, and indeed I have tried to improve the soil over many years with lime, gypsum and organic matter, but it hasn't improved much.
Anyway, is there a list of UK friendly varieties based on soil type. I've made quite a collection of vines that are stuck in pots at the moment: Seyval blanc, Dornfelder, Bacchus, chardonnay, Reichensteiner, Schoenberger, Pinot Noir, Regent.
But I don't know which would be best suited to my conditions. I am willing to put the work in.
Thanks