On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 Emery Davis wrote:
David, what varieties are you growing, you have vines both in the UK and
Normandy, I believe? What does well for you?
I have the same kinds in both Reading and Basse Normandie. I grow
1. Chasselas - at least I think it's Chasselas. It was growing on the
back of our house in Normandy when we bought it. I took cuttings and
established a small vineyard mainly with them. They ripen August/
September, depending on the year. Cons: they are very susceptible to
mildew and need to be sprayed regularly with Bordeaux mixture, ideally
(according to the books) every fifteen days but I can usually get away
with once a month.
2. Seyval Blanc - I was given some cuttings of this back in 1976 by
someone who had a vineyard in Wales. Those were the early days of the
viticulture revival in Britain and was one of the two main grape
varieties grown then (the other was Muller-Thurgau). Pros: it's a hybrid
and is not susceptible to mildew or any other disease in my experience.
Cons: none. However it does ripen later in late September/October and
produces a much fresher wine. For this reason many vineyards in the UK
use it for producing sparkling wine. It is *very* prolific.
3. Kerner - I bought 25 of these ten years ago from Vigo. I wanted a
Riesling cross but hadn't had much success with Muller-Thurgau in the
past. It, too, ripens in late September/October, but it, too, suffers
from mildew if not sprayed regularly. Produces an acceptable wine.
I usually have to have two vendanges periods a month apart because of
this. Last year I gathered the Chasselas at the end of September and the
others in October. This year they were all a month later and I've just
returned from "doing the wine" for this year.
There is a village quite near us that has planted gamay noir, which I
believe does ripen although the quality of winemaking is meant to be
abysmal. There used to be (not sure if it exists any more) a vineyard
near Caen that was growing IIRC chenin and chasselas with some success.
We're 30 miles south of Caen. I wouldn't try to grow black grapes
seriously at our latitude because they will never mature well enough to
produce a good red. Some vineyards in England claim to do it but I am
suspicious of their methods. But Chasselas and, I guess, Chenin blanc,
will do well in Calvados. Whereabouts are you?
But I'd think the burgeoning group of English wine producers would be
the best source of information. IIRC Madeleine Angevine has been quite
successful, but I'm certainly not an expert on English wine, more's the
pity.
I've heard of Madeleine Angevine being grown very successfully in
England. In fact, I think the vineyard at Twyford, about five miles from
here, grows it.
David
--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk