Viticulture Practices for the Midwest
Alan Dillard, Limestone Creek Viticultural Resources,
1250 State Route 127
South, Jonesboro IL 62952
(618) 833-4683
My experience at Alto Vineyards and in interchanges with other
"winegrowers" throughout the Midwest over the past ten years have led me to
the conclusion that, while there are very few hard and fast rules about
grape growing in this region, there are definitely some basic approaches in
site selection, vineyard design, including trellis choices, and selection of
cultivars (types of grapes) which greatly increase the likelihood of
success. This is true whether you want to grow table grapes, wine grapes
for your own use, or go into grape growing as a commercial endeavor.
The material presented is intended as a BASIC guide for the beginning grape
grower, but I can offer more technical information and resources to anyone
who wants to pursue either area more fully. In particular, for those who
already own suitable land and some basic farm equipment. I suggest seriously
considering establishing a small (2 to 3 acres) vineyard planted to certain
cultivars, since there is already a "crunch" in the supply of suitable
grapes throughout the region and this is likely to continue for many years.
We will be starting with a look at cultivars, proceeding through site
considerations, vineyard design, vineyard management for quality production,
trellis/training decisions and several other areas of concern.
Cultivars
The types of grapes grown in France or in California, such as Chardonnay or
Cabernet Sauvignon can only be grown in this area with a LOT of effort,
including burying the vines each Fall and digging them up and re-training
them each Spring! In addition, even if you succeed in keeping them alive,
it is very unlikely you will get them to produce grapes of quality with the
balance of fruit, acid and tannins to create a great wine of the type.
However, there are a few cultivars which were developed in France late last
century and into the present in an attempt to overcome a pest called
phylloxera, or simply to develop new varieties suitable for wine production.
These cultivars are well suited to being grown in the region and can produce
excellent wines.
These vines were developed by crossing Vitis vinifera grapes such as
Chardonnay with native American vines such as Vitis aestivalis. The best of
the resulting "French Hybrids" have become the main vines planted in the
Midwest and the East and, indeed, even though the French do not like to talk
about it, some of these cultivars (Chambourcin, for example) are grown
fairly extensively in France and are used in their wines. These hybrid
vines are less susceptible to extreme cold and just as importantly, they do
not react to a week of unusually mild weather in February or March as if
Spring has arrived. While they are hardier than vinifera grapes, hybrids do
have varying levels of winter hardiness and susceptibility to various
diseases which makes some easier than others to grow successfully.
There are many cultivars in the French hybrid category, but only six to
eight varieties, in my opinion, which are both suitable for our area and of
significant quality to make them desirable either to the home winemaker or
to commercial wineries. Here's a listing and brief description of those
cultivars.
Red Varieties
Chambourcin - Dark blue-black grapes in large open clusters or medium size
berries. Medium to high cold hardiness and relatively low susceptibility
to disease. Wine quality is very good to excellent.
Norton/Cynthiana - There is an ongoing discussion as to whether this is a
single cultivar or two different ones. Recent genetic tests indicate it is
the same vine. This is also not considered a hybrid, but is a member of the
native American genus/species Vitis aestivalis, but no one knows for certain
where it originated. This cultivar is a very vigorous type with
considerable variation possible in crop level from year to year. Small
blue-black berries in small rather tight clusters. Good hardiness and very
good resistance to most diseases. Wine quality is excellent.
Chancellor - Also blue-black with medium berries in clusters which are
slightly smaller and tighter than Chambourcin. Good hardiness, but
susceptibility to downy mildew and to crown gall, particularly on poorer
soils or when vines are stressed or have been injured. Wine quality is
excellent, but disease pressure and the tendency to over-crop if not cluster
thinned makes this a high maintenance cultivar. Most, if not all, the
Chancellor formerly grown in Missouri have been replaced by other cultivars
due to severe crown gall problems. However, at Alto Vineyards the
Chancellor vines are 16 years old and are still doing well. Even though
they do have some crown gall, it is not so severe as to destroy the vine or
affect the quality of grapes.
There are a few other "red" varieties which were planted in the past, but
most have fallen out of favor with commercial wine producers due to either
wine quality from the cultivars or disease problems. Probably the most
common varieties still seen as vines or in the bottle are Baco Noir and
Foch, both of which can make good quality wine. However, Chambourcin is
easier to grow and in most cases is superior in taste, balance and longevity
to either, at least in my experience.
White Varieties
Seyval Blanc - Yellow-white medium size berries in large fairly tight
clusters. Medium winter hardiness. Moderately susceptible to both downy
and powdery mildew. Wine quality is very good, but in most cases, rather
neutral in flavor. Overcropping in this cultivar is automatic unless they
are cluster thinned.
Vidal Blanc - Yellow-white, medium berries in large tight clusters. Very
vigorous on all but the poorest sites with medium to low winter hardiness.
Slightly susceptible to downy mildew and moderately to highly susceptible to
powdery mildew. Can produce very high quality wine if not overcropped.
Cluster thinning is not always necessary, but can be a good idea on vigorous
sites.
Vignoles - Yellow-white small berries in small, usually very tight
clusters. Good winter hardiness and medium vigor. Slight susceptibility to
both mildews and moderate to heavy susceptibility to botrytis and bunch rot
due to the tightness of clusters. In my opinion this cultivar is by far the
best available for excellent, perhaps world-quality white wine at this time.
While the botrytis/bunch rot issue makes this grape difficult to ripen well,
it is so superior to the two previously mentioned varieties that I would
still rather grow Vignoles and make potentially great wine.
Chardonel - I have no personal experience in growing this cultivar, but it
makes very good to excellent wine, although Richard Vine says he doesn't
think it compares to Vignoles. This variety is closely related to the
Chardonnay vine and there is, therefore, some concern about its winter
hardiness in this region. There are some four year-old vines in Missouri
near St. Genevieve, which are apparently doing well, but the jury is still
out. Alto Vineyards now has a small planting and is adding more this Spring
(1997), but only time will tell whether this variety will thrive in our
area. Certainly, it is imperative to plant these only on the very best
locations, as they WILL NOT tolerate wet feet.
All these cultivars have their own good and bad points which we can discuss
more fully as we go along, but if one is considering planting a small
vineyard for commercial purposes. Norton, Chambourcin, Vignoles and probably
Vidal or Chardonel would clearly be the best choices, at least at this time. One white variety I have not mentioned is a new
release called Traminette, which has very good potential as wine, but which I don't feel I
have enough data on to recommend one way or another at this time. The jury is really still
out on this grape, since it has no commercial track record in the Midwest yet.
Introduction
Site Selection
Planting/Trellis Systems
Erosion/Weed Control
Disease/Pest Management
Bibliography
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