Mini Vineyard

Preparing to test the soil. Dirt soup!

The Mini Vineyard is here!

I bought four Pinot Noir grapevines a few weeks ago and planted them in the backyard. My impetus for this project was a personal lesson in growing and pruning some grape vines. My choice of Pinot Noir was simply because that is the most popular varietal in my area. I had envisioned a project like this last winter as my interest in enology grew so that I could simply watch some grapes grow, learn to prune and train them, and taste them during the growing process. I'm curious what Pinot Noir grapes taste like prior to fermentation. How sweet are they? How does the taste on the vine compare to the taste of the finished product?

It is doubtful that these four vines will produce enough grapes to make a personal batch of wine, but if they do, I'm up for that. Even if they do produce plenty of fruit it won't be this year, and probably not the next.

However, before planting them, the first thing I did was test the soil. My son has lots of science kits so I borrowed his soil test kit and tried it out. The ph was slightly acidic, almost neutral. The other elements were closer to "DEPLETED". I bought some organic top soil and also used some of our compost. The soil was filled with earthworms.

The test was simple.

I got my grapevines from Advanced Vineyard Systems in McMinnville. They specialize in facilitating legacy vineyards from conception to realization. I bought four Mount Eden 37/3309 Grafted Grapevines. They were six dollars a piece.

I then went to Home Depot and Dennis' Seven Dees (a local garden supply store) and bought the wood, the stakes, the soil and the hardware for a small raised bed. I noticed that the prices at Home Depot were about half that of the local garden supply chain in regards to similar items, so anything I could buy at Home Depot, I did.

Once I assembled the bed and plotted it's position I dug down about a foot where the plants were going to be planted, to loosen up the earth for the roots. I hammered in the stakes and then filled the bed with some top soil, then I planted the vines. I set up wires to train the vines as they grow.

The finished raised bed with the grapevines. I cut the bottoms out of the containers and put them around the vines for protection.

I'll post monthly updates on the vines and my pruning decisions throughout the growing season. Stay tuned.