On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan

It takes 3-4 years to properly grow vines to get grapes from them. See
Jeff Cox's "Vines to Wines" for a good, basic background on this.

I've got 54 first-year Riesling vines growing in our front yard this
year. I've approximated that I'll end up getting 150-180 bottles/year
from that in average years.

Good luck!

Rob

Rob wrote:
On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan

It takes 3-4 years to properly grow vines to get grapes from them. See
Jeff Cox's "Vines to Wines" for a good, basic background on this.

Thanks! I will find a copy.


I've got 54 first-year Riesling vines growing in our front yard this
year. I've approximated that I'll end up getting 150-180 bottles/year
from that in average years.

Good luck!

Rob

I've heard and read that it takes 600-800 grapes per bottle! So a mature
vine needs to produce a lot of grapes to make a gallon.

--
DAve

Ryan Case wrote:
Joe Sallustio wrote:
I make beer too and that sounds like a plan. One thing to consider is
'give away' wine (just like beer). I know I don't drink 20 gallons in
a year but am sure I give that much away. In other words, think that
through now and include it in your plan, at least for the Merlot. It
needs a little time to come around and giving wine away is a slippery
slope. You could end up on the short end...

Joe

I hear you. In fact my little brother-in-law got hitched last weekend
and I am now out of all but my coffee stout and a few bottles of weizen.
I didn't plan on taking beer to the party the night before, so I didn't
brew to have extra on hand when we ran through it.

I always make 10 gallon batches when it comes to beer. It just isn't
enough extra work to justify only making 5. I have a friend that
normally splits the batches with me. Unless of course it is one of my
recipes that people like real well and then I keep it all so as to not
burn through it with company too quickly.

I do think that one of the things that will help me in the vein of
running out by giving away, is that my dad and brother are slated to
give it a go with me on the grape wines this fall. We will each do a 5
gallon batch. So there will be 15 gallons of each variety in the family.

If the cherry and apricot turn out well, I could definately see doing 10
gallon batches of those next year. The fruit is free, so why not?

On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan

"Dave Allison" wrote in message
.. .
I've heard and read that it takes 600-800 grapes per bottle! So a mature
vine needs to produce a lot of grapes to make a gallon.

A mature vine does indeed produce a lot of grapes. A gallon per vine is not
unreal. This amounts to about 12.5 pounds of grapes per vine. I think a
lot of growers limit their vines to produce a little less in an effort to
improve quality.





--
DAve

Ryan Case wrote:
Joe Sallustio wrote:
I make beer too and that sounds like a plan. One thing to consider is
'give away' wine (just like beer). I know I don't drink 20 gallons in
a year but am sure I give that much away. In other words, think that
through now and include it in your plan, at least for the Merlot. It
needs a little time to come around and giving wine away is a slippery
slope. You could end up on the short end...

Joe

I hear you. In fact my little brother-in-law got hitched last weekend and
I am now out of all but my coffee stout and a few bottles of weizen. I
didn't plan on taking beer to the party the night before, so I didn't
brew to have extra on hand when we ran through it.

I always make 10 gallon batches when it comes to beer. It just isn't
enough extra work to justify only making 5. I have a friend that normally
splits the batches with me. Unless of course it is one of my recipes that
people like real well and then I keep it all so as to not burn through it
with company too quickly.

I do think that one of the things that will help me in the vein of
running out by giving away, is that my dad and brother are slated to give
it a go with me on the grape wines this fall. We will each do a 5 gallon
batch. So there will be 15 gallons of each variety in the family.

If the cherry and apricot turn out well, I could definately see doing 10
gallon batches of those next year. The fruit is free, so why not?

On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan

Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
"Dave Allison" wrote in message
.. .
I've heard and read that it takes 600-800 grapes per bottle! So a mature
vine needs to produce a lot of grapes to make a gallon.

A mature vine does indeed produce a lot of grapes. A gallon per vine is not
unreal. This amounts to about 12.5 pounds of grapes per vine. I think a
lot of growers limit their vines to produce a little less in an effort to
improve quality.

Hmmm, I will definitely have to let you all know once I get there. I am
quite anxious for next spring now, so I can get them in the ground. Of
course there is all that nasty prep work to be done this fall.

Ryan




--
DAve

Ryan Case wrote:
Joe Sallustio wrote:
I make beer too and that sounds like a plan. One thing to consider is
'give away' wine (just like beer). I know I don't drink 20 gallons in
a year but am sure I give that much away. In other words, think that
through now and include it in your plan, at least for the Merlot. It
needs a little time to come around and giving wine away is a slippery
slope. You could end up on the short end...

Joe
I hear you. In fact my little brother-in-law got hitched last weekend and
I am now out of all but my coffee stout and a few bottles of weizen. I
didn't plan on taking beer to the party the night before, so I didn't
brew to have extra on hand when we ran through it.

I always make 10 gallon batches when it comes to beer. It just isn't
enough extra work to justify only making 5. I have a friend that normally
splits the batches with me. Unless of course it is one of my recipes that
people like real well and then I keep it all so as to not burn through it
with company too quickly.

I do think that one of the things that will help me in the vein of
running out by giving away, is that my dad and brother are slated to give
it a go with me on the grape wines this fall. We will each do a 5 gallon
batch. So there will be 15 gallons of each variety in the family.

If the cherry and apricot turn out well, I could definately see doing 10
gallon batches of those next year. The fruit is free, so why not?

On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan

That sounds right to me too, i always went with a gallon per vine. 4
or 5 years to produce good grapes sounds right too. (I still buy all
mine, Pittsburgh has very little sun...)

Joe


A mature vine does indeed produce a lot of grapes. A gallon per vine is not
unreal. This amounts to about 12.5 pounds of grapes per vine. I think a
lot of growers limit their vines to produce a little less in an effort to
improve quality.

Hmmm, I will definitely have to let you all know once I get there. I am
quite anxious for next spring now, so I can get them in the ground. Of
course there is all that nasty prep work to be done this fall.

Ryan




--
DAve

Ryan Case wrote:
Joe Sallustio wrote:
I make beer too and that sounds like a plan. One thing to consider is
'give away' wine (just like beer). I know I don't drink 20 gallons in
a year but am sure I give that much away. In other words, think that
through now and include it in your plan, at least for the Merlot. It
needs a little time to come around and giving wine away is a slippery
slope. You could end up on the short end...

Joe
I hear you. In fact my little brother-in-law got hitched last weekend and
I am now out of all but my coffee stout and a few bottles of weizen. I
didn't plan on taking beer to the party the night before, so I didn't
brew to have extra on hand when we ran through it.

I always make 10 gallon batches when it comes to beer. It just isn't
enough extra work to justify only making 5. I have a friend that normally
splits the batches with me. Unless of course it is one of my recipes that
people like real well and then I keep it all so as to not burn through it
with company too quickly.

I do think that one of the things that will help me in the vein of
running out by giving away, is that my dad and brother are slated to give
it a go with me on the grape wines this fall. We will each do a 5 gallon
batch. So there will be 15 gallons of each variety in the family.

If the cherry and apricot turn out well, I could definately see doing 10
gallon batches of those next year. The fruit is free, so why not?

On another related note. A friend has Riesling starter vines that he is
going to give me in the spring. How long, on average, before a vine will
produce fruit in a usable quantity? I have been told that a mature vine
will produce enough fruit for a gallon of wine on average.


Ryan