wine vines

[batonrougeguy]

I was looking for a few different vines that would grow in zone 9,around Baton Rouge Louisiana.Are you close or in the same zone?

Is it possible to grow down here?do I need chill time?I would probably be growing them in Denham Springs,any comments will help.

I would like to grow

Riesling
Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
ruby Cabernet

and maybe I need to only grow one or two that like heat and humidity,
like a muscat(Canelli) which is suppose to grow down to zone 11

 

[tonyt]

I attend a retreat at the Manresa House or Retreats in Convent La. When I walk along the levee I see several yards with grape vines doing quite well. Sorry I have no idea that variety though.

 

[tkutch]

Im in the Dallas area and all these vines you mentioned can get PD in the south. There is Blanc Du Bois that was created for Florida weather and popular in Texas (in areas that cant grow Vinifera). You might want to look at some winerys in the area and see what they make and talk to them about what to grow.

 

[batonrougeguy]

theres only one that makes real wine,not fruit wines and they make 1 or 2 of the wines I mentioned and there 10-30$ a bottl,theres 2 more north of me in Shreveport and one other and they make regular wines.

I wanted to hear from real people these vines are growing here before i spent 150 bucks for for 18 vines

 

[Cajun Wine Man]

brguy
I live in Jennings, La.
I seem to have the same problem. I have a Black Spanish and a Muscat Canelli, and both are having a hard time even reaching the first wire.

 

[tkutch]

From my experience Black Spanish is only good in a port. Just dont forget about PD. I would hate for you to get these and they die in a few years from this disease. I just bought 25 vines for $180 from a place in west Texas. They have all the variety's you mentioned. In Texas some commercial winery's are purchasing Blan Du bois from growers.

The grower mentioned is womack Nursery.

 

[batonrougeguy]

well I've read a lot and the main disease that would be the killer,and the ones I plan on getting are on disease resistance rootstock.

 

[tkutch]

Best of luck. I wish you well. I work with many local vineyards in Dallas. I honestly dont know much about La. setup other than its more humid.

What disease are you worried about? Remember all vinifera in this area can catch PD. Thats why Florida came up with other strands like Blanc Du Bois. PD kills tons of grapes in Texas each year even on rootstock to stop PD because it takes a lot of work keeping the microclimate and soil correct to stop PD.

 

[batonrougeguy]

yes blanc du bois is one thats surely to grow,which is a french hybrid.
From research almost any french hybrids would do great that is zoned to my area.
which has disease resistance rootstock but the vines are french

heres some that are suppose to purduce great wines
Aurora, Baco Noir, DeChaunac and Seyval Blanc, but Cayuga, Vidal and Vignoles maybe some not in my area.

its 120$ for 3 of each vine I listed in the first post

 

[tkutch]

Blanc Du bois was produced in Florida. What exactly do you mean "but the vines are french"? Most french hybrids need to be picked early in the south and then chaptalized.

I guess I am a little confused on what exactly is your question? Do you want to grow vinifera no matter what or are you looking for what will grow in your area?

I know Baco is known for doing better further north but no clue about the south. I know its grown in small quantities but most people I know who make wine with it buy the grapes from the north.

 

[batonrougeguy]

Blanc Du bois was produced in Florida. What exactly do you mean "but the vines are french"? Most french hybrids need to be picked early in the south and then chaptalized.

I guess I am a little confused on what exactly is your question? Do you want to grow vinifera no matter what or are you looking for what will grow in your area?

I know Baco is known for doing better further north but no clue about the south. I know its grown in small quantities but most people I know who make wine with it buy the grapes from the north.

I wanna grow vinifera not matter what,but it would only be best to plant ones that will do ok here first.Then experiment with others and controlling disease.

I quess I need some guidance.looking forward to buying and planting

 

[tkutch]

You could look into getting some Vinifera on rootstock. That might be the best. But realize to get vinifera to grow in an area not liking vinifera is going to get you tons of diseases and the plants will never take off like they should. I dont know how much wine you plan to make. That is another side to look at since you mentioned buying many varieties. This will not bring much wine of one type.

 

[batonrougeguy]

well those are the wines I wanna have because I know them,I know others could produce and have a better chance to succeed,but this is coming from a man that brought home a "dead" 10 year old satsuma tree,that my wife was so mad to see for months out front of the house,but I feed it nutrients and potted in my soil mix and a little compost for slow nutrients.

and its doing great after cutting 75% of the tree back.

I guess what I am saying is I Love something difficult were I learn the hard way and success is measured in miles.

 

[tkutch]

Please understand I am not saying it cant be done. But I would do some research and see what rootstock to graft your types to. I live in Dallas and plan to plant Syrah but on Rootstock for this area. Then I hope for the best. I have another place in North Texas that is in an AVA area and grow Zinfandel. I also have many other varieties like Carmenere. I can say I will never get good fruit or enough good fruit out of Carmenere to make wine. Yes I may have the fruit but it wont ever taste like Carmenere from France or California. I make better wines from other grapes by far.

If you plant vinifera make sure you get it grafted on rootstock. Did you ever do a soil analysis? Also how do you plan to water them?

I am trying to give advice that others taught me so I didnt make some mistakes plus some of these mistakes are ones I learned the hard way because I didnt find the info.

 

[batonrougeguy]

I did no testing,but I would love to do testing and learn and figure out and grow.How many carmenere do you have,how old are they,and how much fruit are you getting right now,and have you made any amount of wine from them?I am willing to learn and try things and do soil test,I have planted a few things and built a pond there and its pretty sand from tons of sand from the Mississippi in the early 60's.Like 4-5 few thick mixed with 5-6 inches of topsoil. I would catch rain water in ten 50 gallon plastic drums before planting and add more if needed,the land never floods,and never holds water.

I kinda like the idea of a Crimson Cabernet from these people let me know what you think about the science they have in it and if it's a good idea,the only downside is you have to buy 600 vines@ 3.85 each I think.

http://davisvines.com/ThinkNorton.html

 

[tkutch]

For soil analysis I contacted my local Coop and they did the soil analysis for $10. I put the soil in the bag they wanted and mailed it to them.

I have never ordered from them and have no experience. The website looks a little weak so I would be curious. I will add websites that I have ordered from or people I know have ordered from them. One of the sites is a breeder that makes hybrids.

http://www.chateau-z.com/gpage.html

</font>www.FairhavenVineyards.com
</font>http://www.rakgrape.com/
http://www.womacknursery.com/

I have 3 carmenere that have produced about 1 gallon of wine. The numbers came in decent when picked...22brix but this grape in Texas each year comes in differently. One year it looks good. Next year I could spray 12 times with fungicides and it looks like crap and wont make enough to even do a gallon. I am thinking of grafting this one just t keep it alive. I have Mourvedre, Carmenere, zinfandel, Primitivo Clone 3, Lomanto, Blanc Du Bois, Cabernet, Grenache, and Black Spanish. This year I am adding 30 more vines of Blanc and looking to add many cuttings.

</font>

 

[grapeman]

Cliff Amber from Cateau-Z is totally committed to coming up with some great hybrids for the south. I attended a breeding conference a couple years ago. I went to an after hours informal (hotel room) tasting and bs session. He had some sample wines with him - some good and some not as good.


I don't have any personal recommendations for your vines, since I have no experience with growing grapes in the south.

 

[batonrougeguy]

For soil analysis I contacted my local Coop and they did the soil analysis for $10. I put the soil in the bag they wanted and mailed it to them.

I have never ordered from them and have no experience. The website looks a little weak so I would be curious. I will add websites that I have ordered from or people I know have ordered from them. One of the sites is a breeder that makes hybrids.

http://www.chateau-z.com/gpage.html

</font>www.FairhavenVineyards.com
</font>http://www.rakgrape.com/
http://www.womacknursery.com/

I have 3 carmenere that have produced about 1 gallon of wine. The numbers came in decent when picked...22brix but this grape in Texas each year comes in differently. One year it looks good. Next year I could spray 12 times with fungicides and it looks like crap and wont make enough to even do a gallon. I am thinking of grafting this one just t keep it alive. I have Mourvedre, Carmenere, zinfandel, Primitivo Clone 3, Lomanto, Blanc Du Bois, Cabernet, Grenache, and Black Spanish. This year I am adding 30 more vines of Blanc and looking to add many cuttings.

</font>

when we got the ceiling tiles tested in our new house for lead,the papers had something about soil test and they wanted 290$ or more depending on what you wanted to know.

Are you IBA or any other root hormone for the "cuttings"?

 

[tkutch]

Its probably because it was through a company and they need more info than you need. I bet you have a coop in your area. Mine is through Texas A&amp;M like all of Texas. I just needed the basic tests to know what I needed to know. If you run water and plan to plant many vines I would get this tested as well. Its not a must but its only $20 for me to test my water and soil.

This is your COOP with the link to the soil and water testing.
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_o.../Service+Labs/soil_testing_lab/test_schedule/

Yes I use rooting hormone on all my cuttings. Its easy to get them to grow depending on the vine.

 

[batonrougeguy]

Its probably because it was through a company and they need more info than you need. I bet you have a coop in your area. Mine is through Texas A&amp;M like all of Texas. I just needed the basic tests to know what I needed to know. If you run water and plan to plant many vines I would get this tested as well. Its not a must but its only $20 for me to test my water and soil.

This is your COOP with the link to the soil and water testing.
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_o.../Service+Labs/soil_testing_lab/test_schedule/

Yes I use rooting hormone on all my cuttings. Its easy to get them to grow depending on the vine.

I understand tissue culture and kinda know the process,I would love to come to your part of the woods in the next couple weeks if you or someone you know needs help harvesting or whatever.I will have the funds to travel and my wife wants "me to do what I want"