Grape ID Help

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Kim_Macph

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Hey Everyone,

I recently acquired a large allotment garden with some grape vines. I spoke with the previous owner of the plot who said that he brought these grape vines over from Belgium about 10 years ago but he couldn't remember the variety. Said he used to make wine in his bathtub with it and that it was delicious haha. So I would like to try to make some wine but i'm wondering if anyone can help ID the variety? I've tried looking up varieties based on it's leaf shape and growth patterns and it looks like it could be a pinot noir, maybe malbec? But I don't know my grape varieties so i'm really not positive. The grapes grow in relatively small but tight clusters, the outer skin is pretty tough and tart, the inside is super sweet almost jelly like softness typically with 2 good sized seeds. Any help would be appreciated!

Edited to add we also thought it may be concord but concord originates from the US so not sure it would be brought over from Belgium
 

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You may want to check with local colleges/universities that have an enology program. They may have some tools at their disposal that they're willing to share.
 
Take lots of pictures of the vines, the leaves and fruit. If you have time (lots of it) you can try checking out the descriptors from the international association of vine and wine at Description of grape varieties . This is what I’ve slowly looking at when I have time but unless you’re a professional some of this is quite detailed. Many of the descriptors involve a study of 10-15 leaves to get the right one. One you’ve identified a list of descriptors for your vine take a look at the descriptions for grape varieties and eliminate the ones that don‘t match. Some of the easy ones like the number of lobes on a leaf will knock down a lot of possibilities. Also, figure out when your grapes are fully ripe. I thought mine were when i first started looking and have since discovered they are almost black when ready. The colour helps quite a bit.
 

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