The vines are 20 to 40 years old. They were planted by local farmers.
I've just bought the land, never harvested anything as yet.

In article
>,
fishziblu > wrote:

> The vines are 20 to 40 years old. They were planted by local farmers.
> I've just bought the land, never harvested anything as yet.

Uh, I just googled your table grape (Girgentina), Fish, and it turns out
to be a wine grape from Malta.

<http://www.marsovin.com.mt/ourbrands...mmid/5417/xmid
/3983/xmview/2/default.aspx>
<http://www.flickriver.com/photos/nicmifsud/1341782542/>

Cabs and Syrahs are every where, but who do you know that makes a
Girgentina?

Malta
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean (Köppen climate classification Csa) /
Subtropical [58][59], with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta#Climate

Syrah/Shiraz (region 3) may do OK where you are, but a Cab (region 2)
would struggle. You might try Barbera, Nebbiolo (used to make Barolo),
or Sangiovese (heavey tannic wines like Brunelo, or light fruity wines).
The is also the indigenous red grape of Mallta the Gellewza which
produces medium bodied easy drinking red wines and award winning roses.
<http://www.calwineries.com/learn/gra...t-summation-sc
ale>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winkler_scale>
<http://www.malteseislands.com/wine.asp>

Head pruning under these conditions is a good thing because it shades
the grapes, helping to prevent sunburn, which can then be infected with
mold.

Cane pruning or cordon is best for areas that are cool, and you want the
circulation of air, and penetration of sunlight to remove any moisture
that may collect in the canopy.

I'd suggest that you keep an experimental plot of these grapes, and
prune them back to 24 buds. If you are too lazy to prune, you might look
into getting a couple of goats;O)
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/...ting_activists
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/19/headlines

Malta?! Ok you tracked me out.
Who do I know that makes a Girgentina wine? Half the farmers of the
island.
And they make white wine in the same process as they make red wine. It
comes to a honey yellow
white, which is far away from the fruit wine that a white wine should
be.

Thanks for the varietal sugguestions. Syrah I have growing in another
field . Doing quite fine.
But my uncle sprays a lot of pesticides (and frankly dont know if they
need it). But it is his field. So!

As for training its true that in Malta we have torrid summer, however
we are surrounded by water,
which makes for a very humid climate. So a trellised setup saves me
from mold and backaches.
Most vineyards in malta have been converted to a trellised
installation successfully.

Most of the land will be kept with the old grapes. The new ones will
just be for my consumption. (100L annually of wine)