#EliseevVineyard
I want to create this series of notes and videos not for professional winemakers, but for the amateurs with whom I communicate and collaborate. These field notes are an attempt to answer the most common questions and misconceptions.
We began planting a commercial vineyard in the late 1990s when we realized that we couldn't find the grapes we needed in those conditions and from those farms, as we had been buying little by little before. But we enjoyed drinking wine and, consequently, winemaking. Now our commercial vineyard is probably larger than our table vineyard. This plot is almost entirely under commercial vineyards, as it's located at the end of a ravine and is prone to frequent frosts.
As you can see, our vines are planted quite densely, 1.5-1.7 meters apart. Most of the trellises are double-sided, but some are single-sided.
Generally, planting patterns are quite individual. I'm not talking about large vineyards or hectares—industrial production is a separate topic, and I have nothing to do with it.
BUT:
All these 0.8-1 meter spacings between vines—the vines must "suffer" to produce good wine—and similar legends have no relevance to you or us.
Firstly, every great and "great" wine has a significant element of legend, especially in the second version...
Secondly, I'm sure that if France had our black soil, the global grape "fashion" would be completely different.
Thirdly, business is business, and it tries to adapt consumer tastes to its capabilities: for example, white wines should be more extractive and alcoholic (13-13.5 degrees), which is "cool" because... it's hot in Italy... making a light, dry white wine is very difficult in such conditions, so... "fashion" changes.
I'm talking about small-scale, private viticulture and winemaking. We have a total of 25 acres of industrial vineyard. We have tested and continue to test a large number of different varieties and GFs of industrial grapes on this plot. Grapes are a product of the area, and wine is an even greater product of the area than table grapes. We uprooted some of the vines. The first reason was the quality of the wine, whether we liked it or not.
The second was the particular growing conditions of the variety on our plot.
And the third was the specific agricultural practices, so to speak, the alignment of its requirements with our desires and ability to care for it. I'll write a separate article about that.
I'd like to clarify right away that we don't have any Labrusca or Isabella varieties (direct hybrids, as they are properly called) on our plot. For two reasons: we believe they can't make good wine, and secondly, I don't like Isabella. Therefore, we don't discuss varieties like Baco, Buffalo, Couderc, and the like. And one more thing: the more I drink, the more I love dry wine... We make sweet wines not to cover up winemaking defects with sugar, but only from varieties that are suitable specifically for making sweet wines, and these wines are interesting and distinctive.
This means that when planting your own commercial vineyard, you should focus solely on yourself.
First, you must understand WHAT you want to drink and how you plan to develop yourself as a winemaker and wine taster. You must focus on the wine you ultimately want to make and select varieties to suit your wine preferences.
Second, evaluate the soil quality and average weather conditions.
Third, decide what you personally want and can offer your vineyard: dry farming or full irrigation, high-quality preventative and curative chemical treatments, or a biodynamic vineyard.
Fourth, assess your time and technical capabilities in winemaking. For example, if you visit your dacha once a week and never leave, you should understand that you won't always be able to make a light, dry white wine: yesterday was too early to harvest white grapes, and tomorrow might be too late.
Plant your grapes in a way that's comfortable and convenient for both you and them. This can be done using various trellises (single-sided trellises are better ventilated and easier to care for), or 1.5 or 3 meters between vines, depending on your goals, the amount of land you have available, and the amount of time and effort you can devote to it.
Custom winemaking is an opportunity to create wines that are uniquely yours, individual, interesting, and inimitable.
We plant industrial grapes the same way we plant table grapes: in good, large, fertilized holes. We water and care for the first two years with the same care we give expensive new varieties. We give the vines a chance to gain momentum and grow into full-fledged plants. Only after 3-4 years does the technical care required for producing high-quality must be reduced to the bare minimum. We cultivate the technical vineyard 2-4 times per season, depending on the variety. If any vines become too crowded with age, we uproot and thin the vineyard. The vineyard is a living organism; you need to be sensitive to its needs and what's holding it back. After a...