Hi all,
I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
best in this climate? 2. what is the correlation between quantity of
grapes to finished product? 3. If I start with new vines how many
growing seasons until I have a suitable crop for winemaking? Any and
all information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
SAB

On 16 Apr 2004 09:49:40 -0700, (Scott B.)
wrote:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/grapesrus/

1. Cold hardy only, forget vinifera (classic wine grapes).
swenson varieties (http://www.littlefatwino.com/winterstudy.html)

2. Quality grapes = quality wine. Winemakers can craft
substandard grapes into adequate wine, but only top grapes
produce top wines.

3. Figure 3 years from plant to first true harvest. And FYI as an
approximation 1 vine = 1 gallon wine.

>Hi all,
>I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
>am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
>like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
>house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
>best in this climate? 2. what is the correlation between quantity of
>grapes to finished product? 3. If I start with new vines how many
>growing seasons until I have a suitable crop for winemaking? Any and
>all information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
>Thanks,
>SAB

I would suggest you contact your nearest Ag department for the best grapes
for your area. It may even be specific to the side of the hill they are
grown on and they may be able to help you there.

Normal yield is 15-16 lbs per gal for white and 12-13 lbs per gal for red.

I will let others comment on the rest of your questions.

Ray

"Scott B." > wrote in message
om...
> Hi all,
> I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
> am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
> like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
> house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
> best in this climate? 2. what is the correlation between quantity of
> grapes to finished product? 3. If I start with new vines how many
> growing seasons until I have a suitable crop for winemaking? Any and
> all information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks,
> SAB

In article >, (Scott B.) wrote:
>Hi all,
>I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
>am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
>like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
>house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
>best in this climate?

Frontenac is a hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota. It's
supposedly cold-hardy down to minus 40 degrees. Properly cultivated, it bears
heavily, and makes *very* good wine.

Go for it!!


"A.J. Rawls" > wrote in message
...
> Minus 40???
> Those are Alaska temps.. Someone made a grape that will grow here?
> Does it require a long growing season and can it survive with mucho
> daylight (up to 22 hours of a 24 hour period)????
>
> Later,
> A. J. Rawls
> Anchorage, Alaska, USA
>
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 17:31:19 GMT, (Doug Miller)
> wrote:
>
> >In article >,
(Scott B.) wrote:
> >>Hi all,
> >>I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
> >>am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
> >>like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
> >>house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
> >>best in this climate?
> >
> >Frontenac is a hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota. It's
> >supposedly cold-hardy down to minus 40 degrees. Properly cultivated, it
bears
> >heavily, and makes *very* good wine.
>

Minus 40???
Those are Alaska temps.. Someone made a grape that will grow here?
Does it require a long growing season and can it survive with mucho
daylight (up to 22 hours of a 24 hour period)????

Later,
A. J. Rawls
Anchorage, Alaska, USA

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 17:31:19 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

>In article >, (Scott B.) wrote:
>>Hi all,
>>I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
>>am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
>>like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
>>house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
>>best in this climate?
>
>Frontenac is a hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota. It's
>supposedly cold-hardy down to minus 40 degrees. Properly cultivated, it bears
>heavily, and makes *very* good wine.

> Frontenac is a hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota. It's
> supposedly cold-hardy down to minus 40 degrees. Properly cultivated, it bears
> heavily, and makes *very* good wine.


Hi....from what I've been told Frontenac has very high acid levels if
you dont let them hang long enough......once fully ripe they need
another week or so for the acid to "drop" then the levels are more
acceptable ....that is if you're growning season is long
enough........myself I figure if one is not that concerned about
adding acid reducing additives they may be worth growing....they can't
have acid levels much higher than what I grow here in eastern Canada
now....valiants and minnesota78's......Andy J.,Fredericton
,N.B.,Canada.....

Scott B.wrote "The house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes
would grow
> best in this climate"

Scott - Look at this site www.stratsplace.com/hawkins/wgg.html
There are a lot of wine grape descriptions here and information about cold
hardiness. Interestingly Vignoles is said to be "very cold hardy". If you
can grow this grape you will be able to make a very good white wine. All
of the suggestions have been good and you could seek out a local commercial
operation growing grapes. See what they grow.

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas USA

RAVAT (VIGNOLES):
Has synonym name Ravat 51. Variety widely grown in the cooler regions of the
northeast American continent, including Canada, and middle band of states of
the USA. This very cold-hardy, late budding, french-american hybrid
small-cluster grape ripens in late September. Prone to bunchrot in humid
regions. Requires grafting to good vigor rootstock for fruit-bud
development. Due to high acid content, is recommended for making white dry,
late-harvest and ice-wines. Reported to have Pinot de Corton and Subereux
french-american hybrids as direct parents. Currently very popular as a high
quality dessert wine because of its restrained fruitiness, high acid and
good balance.

? "

Where in southern Wisconsin? I live in Germantown north of Milwaukee. Did
you know there's a vineyard in Prairie du Sac Wisconsin (north of Madison)
called the Wollersheim Winery. I believe they grow a French-American hybrid
called a Marechal Foch. They have an internet site.
Darlene

"Scott B." > wrote in message
om...
> Hi all,
> I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
> am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
> like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
> house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
> best in this climate? 2. what is the correlation between quantity of
> grapes to finished product? 3. If I start with new vines how many
> growing seasons until I have a suitable crop for winemaking? Any and
> all information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks,
> SAB

You might want to look into Marechal Foch and Leon Millot.
Wollersheim Winery near Madison grows a lot of Foch and Millot and
generally it does well there if you have a decent mesoclimate. I've
had wine made from Foch (Wollersheim) and I've had wine made from
Frontenac. In my opinion, the Foch was much, much better. While the
winemaking is also a factor, there are some odd flavors in the
Frontenac I just don't like. As others mentioned, there is some
serious deacidification you will have to do with Frontenac also.

Get your hands on a couple books: "Growing Grapes in Minnesota" by
the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, and "Northern
Winework-Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates", by Tom
Plocher and Bob Parke.

BTW, I had looked into doing something similar when I lived in
Pewaukee, but then lucked out and moved to the Finger Lakes of NY
(lucked out in some ways, got screwed in other ways-like taxes).

Good luck.


(Scott B.) wrote in message . com>...
> Hi all,
> I'm a complete newbie to winemaking and had a couple of questions. I
> am moving into a new house soon and as part of the landscaping would
> like to use grapevines to define the back border of our lot. The
> house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow
> best in this climate? 2. what is the correlation between quantity of
> grapes to finished product? 3. If I start with new vines how many
> growing seasons until I have a suitable crop for winemaking? Any and
> all information that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks,
> SAB