Planting vines in NE West Virginia

[roostertail]

Hello there, first post, and happy I found this forum, a wealth of knowledge to be had here for sure!

I'll be planting a moderate size test vineyard in the spring, and would appreciate any and all input and suggestions from the board.

I'm located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, just outside the Shenandoah Valley AVA. Our climate is fairly mild and a bit more cool and dry than the mid Atlantic region due to the rain shadow effect of the Appalachians to our west. Hardiness zone is 6b, heat summation around 3000 gdg, and our yearly rainfall runs about 35-40".

The vineyard site is on about a 10° slope facing Southeast at 850' elevation. I haven't done a soil sample yet, but I know it's well drained and based on the rest of the farm, I'm going to guess it's fairly infertile and slightly acidic. I plan on putting in 100 vines of mostly vinifera to see what works and what doesn't, then playing it by ear from there.

My chosen varieties are based on what is being grown commercially in nearby Virginia and Maryland. I plan on 10 varieties, 10 vines each, with 4 red vinifera, 2 red hybrids, 2 white vinifera, and 2 white hybrids.

Red vinifera: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and either Merlot or Pinot Noir, both of which are hit or miss in this area

Red hybrid: Chambourcin, and either Chancellor or another similar variey, suggestions welcome

White Vinifera: Chardonnay, and either Riesling, Guerztraminer (however you spell it) or Viognier

White hybrid: Here is where I'm having trouble. I want one full-bodied, ageable varietal (chardonnay like) and one aromatic, fruity varietal (riesling like.) Possibilities include Chardonel, Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, etc.

This came out longer than I expected, so I'll end it here. Any questions, comments, or concerns are welcome!

 

[Boatboy24]

Have you thought about Norton?

 

[bigdrums2]

Plant one of each, wait some time and then see what works then plant more of those.

 

[roostertail]

Norton is something I've thought about, it's pretty popular in the region, but for now I'm going to concentrate on the classics and see what I can do with them. If I decide to expand later down the road, Norton will most likely be one to add

 

[roostertail]

Here's some shots of the vineyard site, it's going to cover most of the closely-mowed area. The last shot shows the field on the other side of the pond, a healthy 5 acres. Someday...

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Have you toured the northern Virginia wineyards and seen what they are growing? You are a little cooler. Those guys down there plant on some pretty steep hills, they must hold onto the wires as they walk thru their vineyard! WVMJ

 

[roostertail]

I've been to a couple so far, mostly in the upper end of the Valley around Winchester, Front Royal, Berryville, etc. Whereabouts in WV are you? I'm in Berkeley Springs

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

I am right over the hill in Kearneysville, we have a Wineyard, we make everything but grape wines (except for condords), we got blackberries and black raspberries and some trees, hoping for cider this year. There are also some very active grape growers in Frederick county Md across the river. WVMJ

 

[bigdrums2]

Beautiful land!

 

[roostertail]

Yeah, just over the mountain WVMJ, very cool. Thanks BigDrum!

I have the post locations marked, I'm going to rototill the planting strips and seed radishes and turnips for a cover crop this fall. I heard the roots help to break up soil compaction and bring subsoil nutrients to the surface layer. If nothing else the deer will like to eat them, and I like to eat the deer, so it should work out well

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

I think I fell down your hill once and landed in the pond, you got a lot of snappers in there. Are you guys going to put up a deer fence? I cant plant a tree over here without putting up some fence to keep the deer off of each tree. WVMJ

 

[roostertail]

Yeah, electric fence is about the only way to go. I have a small garden that I protect by spraying a mix of milk, water, and garlic powder, but it has to be done after every rain and with the number of vines I'm going to have, it just wouldn't be practical.

Got the rows tilled, going to seed radishes and turnips next time it rains

 

[roostertail]

Ordered vines yesterday, went with 10 each of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Seyval, and Vidal. The turnips and radishes are growing like weeds, the next step will be setting end posts, which I hope to get done this fall.

I'm going to run 3 main trellis wires, each variety will have 5 vines with 4AK training and 5 with a cordon system, VSP or TWC depending on the variety's growth habits. The plan is to use 5" treated posts for the ends, set at an angle and supported by an earth anchor, and t posts for line posts since my total length is only 100'. I thought about using a wood post at the middle, but I don't see where it's going to make that much difference in strength, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, that's it for now, any suggestions are welcome

 

[roostertail]

Well, it's only been 11 months since my last update! Vines were planted at the end of April, and have been making steady progress.
May

 

[roostertail]

June

 

[grapeman]

Pinch those grape cluster off to let the vines grow better this year if you haven't yet.

 

[roostertail]

Yup, I got most of them before the flowers opened. I left a single cluster on a couple vines, just to see what kind of fungus problems I'm going to have to deal with next year. Do you have any recommendations for a catch-all spray program? I've read "From Vines to Wines," was thinking of just following his recommendations next year and dealing with specific problems as they arise.

 

[oulous]

Dont worry, any significant diseases will show up in the canopy. Since you planted vinifera you are going to have a cadre of fungal diseases. I would pinch the grapes though... the first time i planted vines i couldnt do it and it cost me a lot of growth time.

It looks like you planted your vines a little too deep, you dont want the graft to go under ground or the roots will shoot from the trunk above the graft thus potentially destroying the benefits of the grafted root stock.

 

[roostertail]

I pinched off almost all the clusters, I literally left about 4 clusters total out of the 100 vines, just so I can hopefully eat a handful of grapes this fall, and to see what fungus problems show up.

Also, the vines in the first couple pics are own-rooted hybrids, that's why they look so deep. All grafted vines have the grafts 2"-3" above the soil line.

On another note, I don't know if it's the lack of rainfall recently, but the vines haven't made much growth in the past month or so. The most vigorous (both the Cabs) only have about 4' total shoot length on the 2-4 shoots per vine. Of course, they did get hit pretty hard by Japanese beetles.

I haven't sprayed or treated them with anything, other than my deer repellent milk mix. Basically this plot is just a torture test to determine a couple varieties that are suited to this particular farm. The pie in the sky dream is to plant that 5 acre field in 5-10 years. So far, the standouts are the two Cabernets, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Riesling has done poorly overall, the rest are about even.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

We have been getting all your rain, you can have some of it back! In your pics it looks like the grass is encroaching on your vines? You also look like you are in a perfect place to plant some apple trees for cider to have something to do after all the grapes are picked. WVMJ