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Planting
Vines for a New Vineyard
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Read our important tips on how to plant a new
vineyard!
If you thought that
the last section “Choosing a property” had a lot to solve, then this is
really not easier! Planting grape vines for your new vineyard is really not
a decision that you just “take what is available” you really need to plan
this part. How you plant your vines will regulate how much wine can be
produced and what type of wine can be produced on you vineyard. First of
all, what grapes are you to use? There are several different types of grapes
available, some for making white vine, more for making red wine. Many wines
are made from blending different vines. You need to find out what type of
soil you have and what vines are suited to plant on it. And from
these vines you then have to look at what vines are resistant to the climate
that you are planting in. And of course how their planting should be planed.
Depending on what yield your are planning for (kg/hectare) you plant the
grapes differently. The same type of vines can be planted with as big
differences as 6 meter wide lanes and 6 meter between the plants right down
to less then 2 meter wide lanes and less then 2 meters between the vines.
Depending on your
vineyards location and how the vines are planted you can expect between 2
and 10 tons of grapes for each planted hectare. I have been trying to figure
out what is the average for Spanish vineyards and it seems like they
normally are around 5 to 6 tons per hectare.
If it is a high
quality wine you want to produce, then it is likely that you will produce
less per hectare, and if it is a simple Spanish “vino de tabla” (a simple
table wine) then you want quantity in your production.
Merlot,
a quick guide
Merlots have soared in popularity
in the last decade. Merlot is the most widely planted grape in
the Bordeaux wine region in France, and it is also quite widely
planted in wine regions in the United States, particularly in
California. In California, there were only 2000 acres of Merlot
in 1985, over the years, this has grown to 50,000 acres in 2003.
While Merlots are quite often softer and more lush than Cabernet Sauvignon,
they are still often full-bodied, deep in colour, and fairly high in alcohol
with flavours of cherry, plum and chocolate. Merlot matures in the bottle
earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, so Merlots are generally held in higher
esteem by wine drinkers than by wine collectors. Merlot is also commonly
blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, to soften the Cabernet, and create a more
complex wine.
When serving Merlot, it should be slightly below room temperature. Place it
in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving, to bring it to the
correct serving temperature. Merlot pairs well with many foods, including
red meat, pork, poultry, and pasta.
Over the years, where Merlot used to be utilized in blending with other
wines, more and more, it is beginning to be appreciated on it's own.
