North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Tom Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>]

Hello,

See Oz Clark's "Encycklopedia of the Grape".  You will see vineyards in some of the worst soil imaginable.  Gravel, chalk, basalt, limestone, clay, and slate, producing some of the world's finest wine grapes.

Beringer is a name common to most and here is how their soil is described;

> BERINGER has been producing Cabernet from Knights Valley (declared
> an AVA in ’83) since 1976, Winemaker Ed Sbragia says; however, "the fruit
> for the 1995 vintage is predominantly from new plantings and replantings
> begun in 1989. They incorporate research results to select optimal rootstock,
> clone, spacing, trellising and vine orientation. . . . closer spacing actually
> results in less fruit per vine, but it’s more intensely flavored. Knights
> Valley has warmer temperatures during the day and cooler temperatures at
> night than neighboring Napa Valley. Its soils, classified as Cortina
> Very Gravely Sandy Loam, are exceptionally well drained and low in fertility,
> causing the vines to struggle for water and nutrients and further concentrating
> the fruit flavors." BERINGER 1995 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
> $22 has "rich tannins, ripe black cherry, sweet vanilla, spice, roasted
> coffee/mocha, light herbal aroma, persistent finish."
Grapes do not need rich soils to produce world glass grapes.
> Texas Cooperative Extension
> Grapevines do not require a fertile soil and are actually easier to
> manage on soils of relatively low fertility. High fertility can lead to
> luxurious shoot growth that makes canopy management very difficult and
> can lead to greater problems with cold injury.
You will find a large portion of the world's grapes grow in very poor soil,
and the fruit is better for being grown there.

I was as surprised as anyone when I started looking into this.  I have planted vines into gravel this year and they are doing equally well as any other vine.  Grapes are amazing in their ability to thrive and produce quality fruit in poor soil.

Later,
Tom
 

Jim F wrote:

   Re Tom's letter, I have spent a number of years in California's San Joaquin, have observed thousands of acres of grape vines and have yet to see any planted in gravel.  Evidently some do plant in gravel, somewhere that Tom Knows of - I'd like to learn how well they do in that medium.   In zone 5, there should be no problem overwintering grapes whereas we, in zone 3 get our (tender) grapes through the winter using the "Minnesota tip."  We dig a 6" trench on one side of the plant, then, with a fork, loosen the roots on the other side of the plant.  Finally, tip the plant into the trench and cover with soil. Jim Fruth

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--
Thomas Olenio
Ontario, Canada
Hardiness Zone 5b