Vineyard Planning

Planning a vineyard and selecting grapes seems much easier now than when I started. But isn\'t that true of everything you learn? Things become clear as you study and begin to understand.

For example, how do you lay out rows of grapevines in a vineyard? When I was viewing properties I was very uncertain how the rows would go and how it would all work. Before I got to the point of planning 33 Vines, I learned that in Canadian vineyards, and in most regions this far north of the equator, rows are almost always planted to run north-south. This allows even and maximum sun exposure to both sides of the vines and usually gives the best air flow based on our dominant winds.

A subject of vigorous debate among growers is spacing of rows and plants. Distances between rows vary from four to 10 feet - known respectively as \"high density\" and \"low density\" planting. There are arguments for both methods, which I won\'t even try to explain here. Just let me say that like many of my decisions I am going with the middle ground. Following the lead of many grape growers in Prince Edward County, I will plant grapes rows 9 feet apart and within the rows plant vines every four feet - a typical 9 x 4 planting. I believe the advantages are having plenty of room to run equipment between rows, lots of room for vines to root without crowding, good drainage and cultivation and good air movement. With 9 x 4 planting we will plant about 1,250 grapevines per acre.

Selecting what grape varieties to plant is not quite that straightforward. Factors to consider include: soil type, heat units, climate, water, market tastes, rootstock and availability to name just a few. But maybe the most important factor is being able to ripen the grape within the growing season you have.

The French created a reference system for ripening that divides grapes into \"epochs.\" First epoch grapes ripen early. Second epoch grapes need slightly longer to ripen. Third epoch grapes require a long and warm growing season - think California, Italy, and Australia. Here in Prince Edward County the growing season is generally agreed to be capable of ripening first epoch grapes. Some second epoch grapes will ripen in warmer areas, but third epoch grapes are just a dream in our cool climate, so growers are limited to selecting from first or second epoch varieties.

Growers talk about \"vinifera\" and \"hybrid\" grapes. Vitis vinifera grapevines are European varieties, considered premium grapevines that bear superior grapes for winemaking. Not surprisingly they\'re also more difficult to grow and maintain, especially in a cool climate region.

Hybrid varieties are modified breeds with certain helpful characteristics such as: cold weather hardiness; high yielding; early ripening and disease resistant. The catch is the hybrid grape doesn\'t produce such a high quality grape for drinking. An example of popular vinifera and hybrid would be Merlot (vinifera) vs. Baco Noir (hybrid), or Chardonnay (vinifera) vs. Vidal (hybrid). You may recognize a price difference between those examples with Merlot and Chardonnay often commanding a higher price than comparable Baco Noir or Vidal. Despite the fact vinifera commands premium price for the finished product, the cost of planting vinifera and hyrbrid vines is about the same at $2.50 per grapevine.

33 Vines is planting only vinifera grapevines. Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Again, lots of factors influenced my choice of varieties including the experience and opinion of growers I respect and, to some degree, my own research.

Lloyd Schmidt was a founding partner of British Columbia\'s Sumac Ridge Vineyard and now operates International Viticulture in Niagara. Lloyd is providing the vines for 33 Vines and will give guidance on variety selection, clone types and rootstock, because - you guessed it - there\'s even more to decide than just the grape variety!

Different clone types have different characteristics of a variety which produce distinctive flavours and textures or different growing characteristics. At 33 Vines we will plant Chardonnay - Clone 76 and Clone 95, both considered good types for our soil and climate. It\'s a gamble and a test, and we will watch them closely to see if one produces better fruit than the other. When it is time to make the wine, we can blend and adjust to get desired results.

Grapevines are grafted onto particular rootstocks that have different characteristics to be matched to your soil, climate, water and grapevine. Considerations include disease resistance, drought resistance, low vigour (growth), high growth, deep roots, shallow roots, soil specific, etc. After much consultation and research it was decided to plant all our varieties on a \"3309c\" rootstock. This variety appears to be the best type for the region and is suited to the clay loam soils that dominate the 33 Vines area.