On Fri, 21 Mar 2003, Rufus wrote:

I have been given a mature Riesling Sylvana grape vine which I intend to
plant somewhere in my garden. For the best results, would it do well planted
against a trellis on my west facing fence, or even better trained up a pole
in the open garden? Is it important to have a good flow of air around the
grape bunches for ripening? I understand that it is a good cropper that has
previously been grown in an unheated greenhouse. Any thoughts or cultural
advice would be most welcome.

Generally speaking a vine needs as much warmth as it can get in order to
ripen grapes satisfactorily. Thus it needs a southerly-facing aspect.
Warmth from a wall will help, as will stones in the soil where it is
planted.

You don't need a good flow of air for ripening but you do need it to
lessen mildew attacks. Also try to avoid positions where frost gathers.

However the Riesling crosses are generally grown in northern latitudes
(Alsace and the Rhine and Mosel valleys) so you should have good results
in the UK.

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