blumentopferde
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
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The less grapes per vine, the better the vine quality. At least that is what the books say. But can you make outstanding wine from vines planted in large distances?
I actually never questioned the books, I mean, they were written by wine making professionals who definitely knew more about winemaking than I will ever do, but now as I am confronted with Austrian wine making law, which tells me that I am not allowed to plant vines in an area of more than 500m² (=600 sqyd =0,12 acres) unless I plant less than one vine per 6m² (=7,2 sqyd = 0,0015acres - which area units do you actually use for small areas in the US?), I start to question them.*
I would like to plant 2000m² (0,5 acres) of vines, and now I wonder if this is even possible under these circumstances:
6m² per vine would mean about 3m (10ft) distance between the vines at a row distance of 2m (6 ft) Or the other way round: 2m of distance between the vines at a row distance of 3m. No matter how you put it: In the end it means that one vine would have to carry at least 3 times as much than usually!
I only grow viniferas and I want the best results possible, so at first glance I would just dump that idea and have a smaller wineyard instead. But looking at vines growning in the wild I wonder if they really have to be grown in such small spaces to produce high qualities. I mean: In the wild they grow on trees and get really huge!
So I wonder if you have had experience with that: Does it really make a difference? Do vines planted in shorter distances really lead to better wine quality? Do vines in extensive training systems (such as pergola or large cordons) automatically lead to lower wine quality? Are the books right? Hope you can give me some input on that!
*For explanation: In Austria you are not allowed to plant vines unless you're a registered wine producer who owns an official quota of wine production areas. You can only buy this quota if you're a registered wine producer - this is where the snake bites its own tail! The only exeption is: If you plant below 500m² or if you plant in a larger area but don't have more than one vine per 6m², you can plant vines for yourself. Provided you don't sell the wine you produced from them and drink it all yourself (officially you're not even allowed to gdrink it with a friend!)
I actually never questioned the books, I mean, they were written by wine making professionals who definitely knew more about winemaking than I will ever do, but now as I am confronted with Austrian wine making law, which tells me that I am not allowed to plant vines in an area of more than 500m² (=600 sqyd =0,12 acres) unless I plant less than one vine per 6m² (=7,2 sqyd = 0,0015acres - which area units do you actually use for small areas in the US?), I start to question them.*
I would like to plant 2000m² (0,5 acres) of vines, and now I wonder if this is even possible under these circumstances:
6m² per vine would mean about 3m (10ft) distance between the vines at a row distance of 2m (6 ft) Or the other way round: 2m of distance between the vines at a row distance of 3m. No matter how you put it: In the end it means that one vine would have to carry at least 3 times as much than usually!
I only grow viniferas and I want the best results possible, so at first glance I would just dump that idea and have a smaller wineyard instead. But looking at vines growning in the wild I wonder if they really have to be grown in such small spaces to produce high qualities. I mean: In the wild they grow on trees and get really huge!
So I wonder if you have had experience with that: Does it really make a difference? Do vines planted in shorter distances really lead to better wine quality? Do vines in extensive training systems (such as pergola or large cordons) automatically lead to lower wine quality? Are the books right? Hope you can give me some input on that!
*For explanation: In Austria you are not allowed to plant vines unless you're a registered wine producer who owns an official quota of wine production areas. You can only buy this quota if you're a registered wine producer - this is where the snake bites its own tail! The only exeption is: If you plant below 500m² or if you plant in a larger area but don't have more than one vine per 6m², you can plant vines for yourself. Provided you don't sell the wine you produced from them and drink it all yourself (officially you're not even allowed to gdrink it with a friend!)
