Black Currants

[Wade E]

In a few weeks Ill be picking up 15 Black Currant bushes that are a few years old and very well tended to by a pro. There are 10 Consorts and 5 Titania's that will produce about 75 gallons of wine in all when back in full production so Ive read on a few nursery sites. Im pretty psyched about this as its my favorite fruit wine although the Elderberry/Blackberry that I have aging could steer me that way as its already very very good and I typically done even like dry fruit wines. I may leave some of this dry and just sweeten the other part just a little. Thanks Luc for persuading me into this although if my fridge didnt bust while they were all frozen Im still not sure I would have blended it but o glad I did and wrote down exactly what I did even though I was in panick mode to save all this fruit in the middle of a disaster. I may have to add some Elderberry plants to the yard also. I have some blackberry bushes and hope they do much better next year and spread like crazy.

 

[Luc]

I never did black currant myself as they are not widely available over here unless as jam or store bought for which I will need another morgage. Outrages are the berry-prices over here.

I am surely glad you decided to make the elderberry/blackberry.
It is one of my favorites and I can pick loads of these in the environment for free.

Luc

 

[Racer]

Wade, 15 black currant bushes? Nice score! I hope you find them trouble free and productive at your site. And welcome to another aspect of this great hobby of wine making. Creating wine from your own plants makes it just that much more fulfilling and makes for some real good bragging rights too.

 

[Tom]

Nice score.
How far apart do you have to re-plant them? Is this a good time for transplanting?

 

[Wade E]

It is a good time for transplanting as they are dormant now. You can space them 3' apart and actually make a solid edible hedge with these which is most likely what Im going to do as its a compromise here. My wife wanted bushes to seperate ours from the neighbors yard and I wanted fruit bearing so if I dont get full crops Im still good as there is much more then I truly need there so jam and juice will be the remaider of the fruit.

 

[Tom]

Sounds like a plan..

 

[grapeman]

Wow, nice score Wade!
I hope you get more time to spend with the currants than I do. Mine have been having to fend for themselves most of this year. I just don't have enough time for weeding everything between the rainstorms. When the currants were ripe this year, I didn't even have time to pick the gallons and gallons of currants.

P.S. I would space the Titania a bit farther apart. They have a tendancey to spread more than the Consort do. Remember you can split those 15 and probably double or more the numbers of them.

 

[Wade E]

The spacing I listed was for the Consort, they didnt list a spacing for the Titania's but knowing they are bigger was thinking abot 4'. Is that about right. Knowing that they must cros polinate I was going to put a Titania every after every 3rd bush also.

 

[grapeman]

Having grown both varieties myself, they seem to self pollinate. The first year my Titania had currants on them without the cross-pollination of the Consort. It would Certainly make an intersting hedge having some a bit taller than the others every few bushes. 4 Feet apart for the Titania would be good. They get big enough to even space 5 feet apart.

 

[Wade E]

Do you net them or do the birds not care for them too much?

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Do you net them or do the birds not care for them too much?

from what i hear, birds don't like them. too strong flavored, IIRC. black currant makes a great wine, along with the blackberry, eldeberry and raspberry. they all can be made on the dry side and turn out good. only problem is that they are a slow aging type wine so you have to wait longer with them. they also are, except the rasp., closest to a grape. me and my dad are going to plant probably all of those and a few fruit trees to have fun with. they also blend well with other fruits, IMO.

nice buy and hopefully they do great!!

 

[Wade E]

Ive been making Black Currant wine for 5 years straight now and buy them frozen from a Currant farm in Ct. but they are a little pricey, not bad though if you compare the price to Vintners Harvest cans. They actually work out just a bit cheaper but require a little more work also which I have no problem with that part. I took 1st place in the fruit wine category with my 2008 batch of Currant wine.

 

[Mud]

How did it go, Wade? Did you get everything home and planted safely?

 

[Wade E]

I did and ended up with 18 plants. They are safely transplanted in my sode yard and hope they do well.

 

[Russ Stewart]

I also planted some consort black current bushes this past spring. I was wondering when to expect the first full crop? I can't wait to make some of this awesome wine out of them that you guys are talking about!

 

[grapeman]

The Consort bushes shoul be producing in the second year and be in full production the third or fourth year, depending on growing conditons.

 

[Wade E]

This is the man in which I reteived my bushes from, a damn nice man!

 

[GANGGREEN]

I've grown them in northcentral PA and they grow great with very little trimming or maintenance. Mine had a bumper crop every season but I've since moved to a farm about 20 miles away. My brother still has the plants that he planted at the same time I planted mine. His are in central NY and also require minimal maintenance yet have bumper crops from year to year.

I made a red currant wine once many years ago but never tried the blacks, I'll have to give them a try.

 

[Wade E]

They are very powerful and make a damn good wine. I took best fruit wine in Ct. with mine last year.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

i agree with wade. they make a great wine. i would love to have a whole acres worth!