Newbie wants a vineyard!

[Travisty]

Haha, true! I added a google maps picture just after you posted that Al. FYI

 

[AlFulchino]

hey thats cool....google did a street view of my location a few years back but stopped before so you can just barely see the land and then from the other direction of the street they came up short for some strange reason there is about a 1000 feet missing section in their street view


****


anyway get grandma out on the porch w the double barrel for night watch...and start a neighborhood watch group

 

[Travisty]

Yeah, google hasn't got enough of mid-town Omaha in the streetview function yet to have my place. But the overhead shot works pretty well.

I might have to start sleeping outside with my cousin's saw-off 12 gauge in a couple years! haha

 

[AlFulchino]

ok that is right you are in omaha...check out the roster for the ball team at oroyals.com

 

[Travisty]

Hey, look at that, there's a Jeff Fulchino on the roster! A relation of yours I assume?

 

[OilnH2O]

Travisty, Appleman is right - PHD = Post Hole Digger -- if you've got rocks, I think you should get an extra gold star!

 

[AlFulchino]

Hey, look at that, there's a Jeff Fulchino on the roster! A relation of yours I assume?

son.....he has been hitting 97 lately...not sure where it is coming from ....

 

[Travisty]

Well, last friday some of us went to a local vineyard (Soaring Wings in Springfiled, NE) for a wine tasting. They only make three dry reds, Chambourcin, DeChaunac, and St. Croixand only one of those, the DeChaunacwas available for tasting. The St. Croix was sold out and the Chambourcin was not yet ready. I thought the DeChaunac was pretty decent. I'm horrible at describing taste and I didn't make any notes so i can't say exactly what it tasted like. They had a sweet DeChaunac that I did not care for. I'm not a big sweet wine person though. I was dissapointed that I couldn't try the other two dry reds as I was very curious what they would produce. I've tasted a couple different Chambourcins before and liked them quite a bit.








Of their whites, I tried a dry LaCrosse and a sweet Vignoles. Did not care for the LaCrosse. It seemed to lack flavor. If I recall correctly it didn't seem to have much acidity either. I was very surprised by the sweet Vignoles though. Like I said earlier, I don't usually care for sweet wines (except ports

) but this was very good! Lots of fruity flavor and not sickly sweet.


They had a few different blends too, but I'm not sure what was in all the blends and it was so busy that we didn't get a good chance to ask a lot of questions.


So, I'm still in the air as to what I want to plant next year. I'm thinking 6 of a red and 6 of a white. I have some time to decide right? Hopefully, I'll be able to make some time to get the ground ready in the next couple weeks too. Just need to mark off my rows (after making sure it's cool to dig there!), kill the grass with round up and start tilling.

 

[Travisty]

Well, I tilled up the ground today and I have another question. I have all this tilled up dead grass laying here on top of my tilled soil now. Should I rake it up or leave it where it is to dry up and let the tiller do it's work on the dead grass as well as the soil when I till again in a month or so?

 

[grapeman]

Let me narrow this down for you- You can either till it in when you till again, or rake it up and get rid of it!

Did that clear it up for you?


Actually it doesn't make a lot of difference. As long as you used Roundup to kill it for tilling, it really doesn't make any difference at all. If it is definitely dead, it won't hurt to leave it there, but it doesn't look as neat laying there.


At the wine tasting, it isn't surprising you didn't care for the LaCrosse if it was dry. A number of the white hybrids are very good if made correctly and harvested at the right time. In your area, if you let them hang too long, the acid levels get too low and they lack a good balancing acid. They also need just a bit of residual sugar to bring the fruitiness out. If there isn't enough acid then they are too sweet. They need to be picked when pH is about 3.1-3.2 and TA is about 0.9- 1.1 g/l. The touch of residual sugar(1.002-1.004) balances this higher acid and leaves them crisp and fruity.
LaCrosse doesn't have quite as much flavor as some of the others. From what I have done St. Pepin(apricots and apples), ES 6-16-30 (pineapples), Petite Amie and LaCrscent (both very fruity and crisp) all have more flavors than LaCrosse.


Where you are for reds, you have a lot of choices- how about St. Croix, Noiret, and Corot Noir. If you want a bit higher acid one to work with, there is Frontenac.Edited by: appleman

 

[AlFulchino]

check out Brianna for white...even if its just for eating

 

[Travisty]

Well, I'm not sure I was able to kill off all the grass with the RoundUp, so I guess I'd better get out there and start raking.

I was thinking of planting chardonel for a white. I tried a chardonel from a NE vineyard (Whiskey Run Creek) and liked it. I also tried their frontenac. I thought it was good. It was a tiny bit sweeter, probably because of the high acidity? They also have a marechal foch I want to try. There's so many reds out there I haven't tried yet that I think eventually, I'll just have to choose one of the few I have tried and liked and just go with it. I still need to try a St. Croix and I'd like to try a Marquette. I'm looking for a red that can make a full bodied dry wine with good tannins. I've read that Marquette has emerged as a great grape to make what I'm looking for.

 

[grapeman]

I don't want to burst anyones bubbles, but I am not convinced of the quality of wine that Marquette makes yet. I made 9 gallons of it last year and actually bottled 6 gallons of it today. It may be my wine making techniques but I am less than impressed with it. It could have been a bit riper last year when we picked them. It tastes a bit green to me. The tannins are so-so and it really doesn't have much for cherry flavors yet. The oak I added gives it some character, but other than that, after 10 months it really doesn't do it for me. I had a Marquette from the Finger Lakes a cuple weeks ago that was fair. I have 50 vines in myself of them hoping that they will be better than what I made last year. The whites I made on the other hand are all knock your socks off good! I bottled 5 of them today and they are all as good as any commercial white I have had. If I am not typing very good, it is because I had 7 very hearty glassfulls of samples today while bottling.

 

[Wade E]

Do you have any Cayuga appleman as that seems to be the reigning white here in Ct. and its 1 of my favorite whites.

 

[grapeman]

Yes Wade I have about 75 Cayuga White grape vines. I made 6 gallons of it last year and it is one of the wines I have. I need to bottle it next time. It is about the same as the LaCrosse- pretty good , but not as good as the others- believe it or not! I am getting really excited by the others. They seem to be the wines that will define the Champlain Valley. Nice Fruity White wines like Riesling only on steroids! They are a mixed dring on a wine glass all by themselves!

 

[Wade E]

Glad you have wines of your own that you like so much grown in your own property. Quite a feat!

 

[fivebk]

Hi Travis , My name is Bob . I found this forum a couple of months ago and have really enjoyed it. I live about 55 miles south of Omaha. I know it's been awhile since this post but I thought I would introduce myself and throw my two cents worth in .There is a winery in Springfield Ne called soaring wings . By now you have probably been there. The owner / winemakers name is Jim Shaw. He is a very nice and knowlegable person and is always glad to answer any questions ( My wife and I visit there alot ).I too am starting a small home vineyard this spring. I have started a thread on this topic my vineyard project. It's nice to know that someone on this forum is that close to my area.

BOB

 

[Travisty]

Hi Bob, it is nice to see others from this area on the forum!


I do know Soaring Wings. I've only been there once though. I'm sure we will be out there more this coming year. Their Vignoles dessert wine is what has convinced me to grow Vingoles as my white in my tiny little home vineyard I'm planting this spring. It's was a tasty dessert wine.

 

[fivebk]

My wife very much enjoys the vignole wine thats why I too will be planting them this spring

 

[grapeman]

I would rate Vignoles close to some of the other whites I grow- each has their own unique flavors and qualities. Others are Chardonel, NY76.0844.24, St. Pepin, Petite Amie, LaCrescent, and Frontenac Gris. I have others with plenty of flavor and other qualities to contribute.