GOT WINEMAKING GROW YOUR OWN GRAPES IN A BACKYARD VINEYARD! QUESTIONS? THE BEST OF ® GUIDE TO ROWING GRAPES LEARN HOW TO • PLAN & PLANT YOUR VINEYARD • CARE THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS • TROUBLESHOOT PROBLEMS • GROW THE BEST WINE GRAPES ...AND MUCH MORE! by WES HAGEN WWW.WINEMAKERMAG.COM SPECIAL NEWSSTAND ONLY ISSUE U.S. $6.99 • CAN. $6.99 DON’T MISS AN ISSUE! ORDER YOUR WINEMAKER BACK ISSUES ORDER WINEMAKER BACK ISSUES AND CONFERENCE RECORDINGS TODAY AT: WINEMAKERMAGSTORE.COM LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS! Recorded seminars from the annual WineMaker Magazine Conference are packed with valuable winemaking know-how. One hour audio CDs cover topics including kit winemaking, grape growing, techniques, equipment and more! THE BEST OF ® lanting a backyard vineyard is as much an act of madness as it is an act of faith. In an era of unmatched wine availability and affordability, it would be difficult to claim that growing grapes to make your own wine is in any way economical. The best metaphor I can come up with: planting a vineyard at home is like making your own Pflat screen television. You’re not going to be able to do it cheaper and more efficiently than the Chinese . in fact it will probably be more expensive and have more technical issues, but in the end you will certainly know more about the intricacies of television manufacturing. A backyard vineyard is not landscaping. A backyard vineyard should never be a “crazy idea I had one night while under the influence of Napa Cabernet.” There is only one reason to plant a backyard vineyard — you have no other choice. You dream of a backyard vineyard every night. You can’t look at that quarter acre hill in your backyard any longer without imagining perfect little rows of Grenache. It may seem odd that the first thousand words in a grape growing manual would attempt to discourage backyard viticulture, but this hobby isn’t for the meek or lazy. There is nothing as glorious as a perfectly manicured vineyard, and nothing quite so pathetic as one that is neglected and rank. This WineMaker special issue is packed with excellent, detailed cultural practices and concepts for growing high quality wine- grapes. But it won’t shoot thin, sucker, manage the canopy or test the fruit. It won’t do field trials or walk the vineyard on a weekend when the NBA Finals are on. A vine- yard is real work and more. So if you’ve read this far, here’s why you will love this special issue: • If you don’t have a backyard vineyard, it will give you a succinct primer for understanding how much work will be involved in the design and implementation of a backyard vineyard. • If you recently bought a property with a planted vineyard, this manual will inform your decision concerning whether to keep the vineyard or plant a few rows of azaleas. • If you already own and work your own backyard vineyard, it will give you vital tools for improving your fruit and wine. •If you are on the fence, indecisive about planting, this manual will pull no punches. It will give you an honest appraisal of the study, prep and hard work nec- essary to produce wine from your own property. •If you never plan to have a backyard vineyard, the information contained within these articles will inform your enjoy- ment and understanding of wine immeasurably. WES HAGEN received his viticultural training from the University of California at Davis extension program. He is the Vineyard Manager and Winemaker for Clos Pepe Vineyards in Santa Barbara County, California, where he grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for a number of wineries, including his own. Wines made from his grapes have scored over 90 points by Wine Spectator magazine. Wes also covers the world of hobby vineyards for WineMaker magazine, writing our “Backyard Vines” column in every issue for the last decade as well as on his blog at winemakermag.com. GUIDE TO GROWING GRAPES WINEMAKERMAG.COM 1 THE BEST OF ® EDITOR Chris Colby ART DIRECTOR Coleen Jewett Heingartner ASSOCIATE EDITOR Betsy Parks TECHNICAL EDITOR Daniel Pambianchi INTERN Jeremy Perkins CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alison Crowe, Wes Hagen, Daniel Pambianchi, Tim Patterson, Gene Spaziani, Tim Vandergrift CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Jim Woodward, Chris Champine CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Charles A. Parker/Images Plus, Les Jörgensen Photography CANINE ASSOCIATES Heidi, Louie & Spaulding PUBLISHER Brad Ring ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kiev Rattee ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Dave Green EVENTS/MARKETING COORDINATOR Andrew Pierce BOOKKEEPER Faith Alberti SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Linda Marlowe NEWSSTAND DIRECTOR Carl Kopf EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Steve Bader Bader Beer and Wine Supply • Doug Beckett Peachy Canyon Winery Frank Borrelli Borrelli Cellars • Michelle Bowen Vinquiry Chik Brenneman UC-Davis • John Buechsenstein Sauvignon Republic Mark Chandler Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission Don Gauntner LaRue Vineyard Country Wines • Pat Henderson Kenwood Vineyards Tristan Johnson MoreWine! • Steve Matthiasson Premiere Viticulture John Rauner Yakima River Winery • Gene Spaziani American Wine Society David Stevens Davon International • Tim Vandergrift Winexpert Inc. 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Return undeliverable Canadian address to: Express Messenger International, P.O. Box 25058, London BC, Ontario Canada N6C 6A8. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WineMaker, P.O. Box 469118, Escondido, CA 92046. Customer Service: For subscription orders, inquiries or address changes, write WineMaker, P.O. Box 469118, Escondido, CA 92046. Fax: (760) 738-4805. Foreign and Canadian orders must be payable in U.S. dollars. The airmail subscrip- tion rate to Canada and Mexico is $28; for all other countries the airmail subscription rate is $45. All contents of The Best of WineMaker Guide to Growing Grapes are Copyright © 2011 by Battenkill Communications, unless otherwise noted. WineMaker is a registered trademark owned by Battenkill Communications, a Vermont corporation. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned, and no responsibility can be assumed for such material. All “Letters to the Editor” should be sent to the editor at the Vermont office address. All rights in letters sent toWineMaker will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and subject to WineMaker’s unrestricted right to edit. Although all reasonable attempts are made to ensure accuracy, the publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions anywhere in the publication. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. 2 WINEMAKER GUIDE TO GROWING GRAPES THE BEST OF ® GUIDE TO ROWING GRAPES Starting Your Own Home Vineyard 4 A home vineyard is a big commitment. Learn everything you need to plan for — from what to look for when buying vineyard property, to . laying out your vineyard, to choosing your trellis system. Spring In The Vineyard 22 In Spring, the vineyard awakens. This is when vines are planted and when work begin in earnest. Your preparation now will be rewarded at harvest time. We’ll tell you what you should be doing this time of year. Vineyard Maintenance 40 Owning a vineyard is hard work. Depending on your situation, you may need to water or fertilize your vines. You will have to prune them and ward off pests. This section shows you how. Harvest and Beyond 62 This is it! This is what you have been waiting for all year: harvest. We’ll give you the knowledge to plan and execute your harvest when the grapes are at the peak of their ripeness. Plus: What comes next? Frequently Asked Questions 72 Home vineyardists ask Wes about the problems with their vines. From failing fruit to pesky pests, the answers to problems you may encoun- ter in your endeavor to grow the perfect wine grape. GUIDE TO GROWING GRAPES WINEMAKERMAG.COM 3 Photo by Wes Hagen STARTING YOUR OWN HOME VINEYARD 4 WINEMAKER GUIDE TO GROWING GRAPES sound bottle of wine. Here’s my list of BUYING reasons that you should pursue vineyard land for wine production: VINEYARD LAND • Your enjoyment of wine has peaked after decades of travel, tasting, note taking, collecting and pursuing knowl- money and disappointment. However, edge of wine. if after reading this article, you are still interested in starting a vineyard, you are • You are physically able to do hard a true believer and will likely succeed. physical labor in the vineyard, and Why do I want to grow grapes? This believe doing so will feed your soul in may seem like a simple question, but it’s a way that your current vocation could one that I force upon my new clients, not. Alternatively, you have a vineyard asking them to dig deep and discover staff that can do the work under your the truth that may lie beneath the initial close supervision. impulse of wanting to grow vines on their property. Let me be clear: The cost • You’ve been a home winemaker for a and effort to design, plant and maintain number of vintages, and have found that a vineyard is clearly prohibitive to most you just can’t get the quality of fruit that people that want a vineyard for land- you want.