| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| quixoticgeek |
Outdoor GrapeI am pondering adding a grape fine to my garden, I only have space for one, and I would like to use it for wine. The location is SW facing, in Kent.What would people recommend? Thanks J |
| Chez |
White, I think, rather than red. Something to do with the way they ripen and therefore the sugar levels being better for winemaking in the UK. Have you got any vineyards locally that you could go and have a look at and see what they have success with? |
| tahir |
You need James, I've lost the lablels on mine, there was one particular variety that was very tasty, deep black and very fragrant. |
| James |
I’ll assume you want to grow organically and you’re going to play it safe with harvest date and maturity of the crop.
For white wines, your choice boils down to: Seyval Blanc: a very reliable heavy cropping hybrid that’s the mainstay of the English wine industry. I’ve not grown it, but by all accounts its an easy vine to grow. It grows best south of Birmingham. A neutral wine, crisp to sharp depending on the season, mid to late season (October) harvest. Susceptible to botrytis. Occasionally the wine can taste like grass. Phoenix: You’ll often find this one in garden centres. Very good disease resistance and early harvest. The wine is very aromatic (a floral Muscat), similar to that of “Bacchus”. I’d recommend you try a Bacchus wine before you purchase Phoenix. Personally, I don’t like Bacchus, but if it floats your boat, I’d highly recommend it. I’m considering buying a phoenix to use in blending with my other varieties to provide a bit more flavour. Phoenix is a good desert grape also. Solaris High yield, early harvest, high sugars, disease resistant. There are very favourable reports of this new variety. I’ve just purchased this, am looking forward to seeing how it does. There appear to be no wines available yet of Solaris to try. Madelaine Angevine (more properly named “madelaine angevine 7672, or “madelaine angevine ‘Barrington Brock’ clone”) It’s probably the only pure species vine that I’d recommend. A old French vine from the upper Loire, it produces a delicate, crisp dry white wine. Early harvest (mid to late sept) and very reliable yields, it’s a lovely vine to grow. Its often grown in the welsh borders, and Herefordshire/ Worcestershire. It would grow very well in Kent The fruit is good to eat straight from the vine. One big problem, however: its very susceptible to mildew. The birds and wasps also love the fruit, so the there can be quite a bit of damage unless its netted. Other whites: Orion & Sirius are both modern hybrids, mid to late season harvests, probably designed to take the place of Seyval blanc. I don’t know much about these varieties. Muller Thurgau & Riechensteiner are both, mid season German high yielding pure species varieties that produce Riesling type wine. They’re both renowned for being quite disease prone, so I’d avoid these if your organic. L’Acadie Blanc is a vine that has no history at all in the UK and is not recognised by the EU as a wine making grape, but its making big waves in Nova Scotia, where it makes a really nice dry white wine similar to a cool climate chardonnay (aka Chablis). Very disease resistant, mid season, medium yield. I’ve got hold of one plant from the national vine collection, which I’ll be cloning up this winter. It apparently likes long, mild autumns (…think maritime conditions, not suited to higher altitudes with cold autumn nights) For red wines, there’s been a huge change over the last few years with two recent introductions turning things on their head. Until recently, as Chez said, white vines were much more reliable than red. If you’ve ever drunk an English or a German red, chances are it will have tasted thin and acidic, with a light red colour. Now there are two vines that will provide that classic “big red” colour and flavour, with good yields and decent harvest dates. The vines that have changed all of this are… Regent Medium yield, early to mid October harvest, deep red, good tannins, very disease resistant. This vine is being purchased and planted faster than the nurseries can clone them. In a few years time, we’ll see a lot of Regent wine. It’s a very well behaved vine, with straight upright growth. It’s a hybrid, but the German government have declared it to be a pure species for the sake of wine making (because the vine growth is identical to pure species growth and the wine is identical to classic red varieties) Rondohigh yield, very early harvest. Like Regent, it has deep red colour and good tannins. It’s sold as disease resistant, and I’ve not had any problems (..yet) but I’ve read that it can have problems with mildew. These are the only red varieties I’d bother with. By account, they’re streets ahead of anything else. Because you live in Kent, you could also consider one of the Pinot types: Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier (also called Wrotham Pinot), Fruhburgunder (also called Early Pinot noir clone), Pinot Gris (also called Pinot Grigio). And you could try Chardonnay. These are all pure vinifera species and hence will be more susceptible to disease, and they’re a bit more picky about growth conditions. A classic champagne is made from 75-80% pinot and 20-25% Chardonnay. Another thing worth mentioning is that both your residence locations have got phylloxera- a disease that will kill vines from their roots upwards. You need the vines to be grafted to a phylloxera resistant root stock, rather than "own-root". Hence I'd advise buying a plant from a proper nursery, such as http://www.vinesforwines.co.uk/ |