Topic: ANOTHER NEWBIE QUESTION: Grape vines

[phillyq]

Hello again,

Sorry for another question / thread but I'm trying to get to grips with my plot.

I want to plant some grapes and I'm after some advice on what variety to go for. I live in Suffolk and have a plot that gets plenty of sunshine. The plot is not overshadowed and is flat, and as its new I can put the grapes wherever suits them at the moment as there is nothing else on there at the moment!

So...

I'm after two varieties of grape - a red and a white.

Criteria for both;

 Ideally dual purpose for wine and eating. If thats not possible then an eatable white and a drinkable red would be my preference. I'm after a grape which is reasonably beginner friendly and which ideally won't take 5 years to provide usable fruit. To an extent they will have 'pride of place' so don't mind if they take up a lot of space etc.

Also - can I grow the two varieties side my side or should I split them on the plot?

TIA - Phil xx 

[jimc]

I can't answer your issue about varieties but maybe check local vineyards and try some different ones to find a good local one.
For table grapes try a farmers market or good fruit shop to try different ones which suit you.
I have 3 table grapes which I planted about 7 years ago, two are seedless and are white and red sultanas, while the other is a pink seeded grape.
When we arrived here 11 years ago we had two white table grape varieties.
Since then I have taken cuttings from my own vines, 3 others which I liked from other locations plus seeds from a variety purchased from a greengrocer.
Now I have 14 vines with 11 in production.
I just take 30-40mm long cuttings at pruning time in mid winter, sprinkle rooting hormone on the end going into the ground and sow into a pot of good seed raising mix. With 60-100% strike rate I often give most of mine away.

[Floyds]

You could do no better than to contact RV Rodger who will give you all the information you need. Grapes are about to enter their dormant period so you would do best to wait until they start to grow again next year. RV Roger only sell bare rooted stock which is not suitable for planting until Spring so maybe you should be looking for a couple of pot grown vines, but I would still keep them in a greenhouse until next Spring. This is a link that you might find useful.http://rvroger.co.uk/index.php?linksource=stockgroup&webpage=grapes&listgroupfile=fruitandnuttrees&parentpagefile=opengroundfruit&season=MAIN&caller=Header

[ed dibbles]

For beginner friendliness it is best to get mildew resistant varieties so you won't have to spray. There are a good number on the market these days.

Suggested varieties for red:

Regent (mid early) - Makes a very good wine, think Corbieres or Cote du Roussillon. Big berries excellent for eating too but they do have a large pip. They may also take longer to find their feet before cropping but well worth it.

Rondo (early ripening and early bearing) - nice clean berries with good ripeness. Makes a good wine but with a distinctive flavour. Distinctive does not mean bad.

Cabernet Cortis (mid early) - probably the most promising red wine variety for the british climate. Wine described as a Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot style.


Suggested varieties for white:

Phoenix (mid early) - Excellent all rounder for wine and eating. Very sweet.

Zalagyongye  (mid early) - Lovely large berries on long bunches. Great for eating or wine.

Solaris (very early, strong grower) - Considered by some as the most promising UK white wine variety because of its early ripening and very high sugar levels (sufficient to make 12% alcohol on its own! hic)

All these are easy to grow, though none are seedless, as well as being disease free. There are others but these are my recommendations.

For more inspiration have a look at the holder of the National Collection of Grape Vines website.

http://www.sunnybankvines.co.uk/

Planting then side by side is fine (at least six feet apart though). They are self fertile so no problem if you want to grow them away from one another.

[ed dibbles]

seems the link is coming up as ftp rather than http.

www.sunnybankvines.co.uk

www.sunnybankvines.co.uk/

[phillyq]

Thanks all - will take a look into them all

[Vinlander]

Sunnybank used to refer to Himrod as the best seedless white for England - they now say "Thoroughly trialled, very good indoors or out. Good quality and reliable". I would add delicious, early and mildew-resistant.

A hybridisation with some indigenous canadian vines have equipped it with better genes for our climate than anything that evolved in Greece/Turkey/Georgia.

I get a tremendous crop from sunny positions and in anything better than a poor summer I get a good crop from a north facing aspect too.

I would definitely give the very best position to a red grape and give the second-best to Himrod.

Cheers.