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Be a backyard vintner
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May 4, 2001: 6:44 a.m. ET
With enough time, money and passion, wine lovers can create their own label
By Staff Writer Kim Khan
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - It's a long road from simply enjoying a glass of wine to becoming a connoisseur, but for some wine lovers even that is not enough. Many a grape lover, with the benefit of a garden, has taken the next step, putting their money where their critique is and starting a home vineyard.
According to experts there are few things more gratifying than placing your own label on your own bottle of wine, but before jumping in, prospective growers should consider the time and the cost.
"You have to be very serious about it," said Rich Salvestrin of the California Grapevine Nursery. "It's definitely a hobby that takes quite a lot of time."
 The first step to a home vineyard is deciding what kind of grapes to grow out back. This will be determined not just on what kind of wine is desired, but also by what kind of garden conditions are available.
According to Jeff Cox, author of "From Vines to Wines," the three most important factors in a good site for grapes are good positive drainage, full sun on the grapes all day, and good air movement.
"Grapes do not like wet roots," Cox said. "A slope is best, especially one with stony or shaley soil. Avoid heavy, wet soils on flat areas that do not percolate well."
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 UNDERSTANDING THE COST
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The cost estimates provided in this article are based on a large plot of half an acre, but grapes can be grown in much smaller areas, diminishing the financial commitments to homemade wine. For smaller areas of land simply divide the cost, for example by two if using one quarter of an acre.
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"Good air movement through the vines is important to ward off mildew, which is another reason to plant them on a slope," he added. "They should be away from woods, walls, or buildings, so that air flow isn't stopped."
Next, the prospective home vintner should determine what kind of soil conditions are present. This can be done with a soil analysis, which can cost anywhere from $100 to $250, according to Salvestrin.
"The analysis tells you what the mineral content is and anything that needs to be adjusted," he said. "From this you decide what kind of root stock to use and what kind of wine you want to make."
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What kind of soil you have will determine what grapes you can grow. (File) | |
Cox suggested consulting a local agricultural extension agent or a local winery, if available. His book also has a chart listing which grapes grow well in certain areas of the country.
"Classic wine grapes like chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon aren't reliable hardy in most of the country," Cox said. "For cold winter regions, there are native American wine grapes and French-American hybrids."
Salvestrin estimated about 1,200 vines could be used in a half acre, using three feet of space between vines and six feet of space between rows, which would cost about $4,000 from a custom vine merchant. But bear in mind this many grapes eventually will yield 200 cases of wine, and some gardeners may want to tackle a much smaller scale.
To grow grapes successfully, some sort of trellising system is necessary, usually using metal stakes, large posts at the end of each row and two wires. Using the aforementioned spacing, the trellising system would run in the area of $1,650, and a number of specialty stores have begun selling on the Web. Putting in an irrigation system and an anchor post for the trellising would cost about $1,000.
The waiting is the hardest part
Now comes the time for patience.
It will take about three years from spring planting for some of the crop to be ready for wine making. According to Salvestrin, in year three 30 to 40 percent of the maximum product potential could be reached, while full product potential would come in year five.
During this time, the grapes won't need constant attention, Cox said, but they will require care.
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It will take at least three years before the grapes will be ready to turn into wine. (File) | |
"Grapes, like most plants, are perfectly willing to grow without much help from you," he said. "However, to produce good crops of quality grapes for either fresh eating or winemaking, you will need to control rots and mildews, insects. You must tie up growing shoots to trellis wires properly, and you'll have to give the vines their annual pruning.
"Pruning is a job that takes skill and knowledge of how the vine grows, what it needs, and how it reacts to pruning cuts. The best way to learn is to accompany a vineyardist as he or she does the job and learn from experience."
While three to five years may seem a long time to wait for results, it can be perfect for the novice wine maker, who can learn the skills by making wine from purchased grapes.
Salvestrin said grape growers should plan for additional costs for harvesting, fermenting and bottling and also be prepared to try it all over again.
"The real challenge is making it good," he said. 
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