Grapes
You might have heard of two different categories: wine grapes and table grapes. What you might not know is grapes can be divided into 4 main groups: American, European, French/American hybrids, and muscadine – they are different species with different characteristics.
Wine grapes
Smaller in size, thinner skin
Fewer grapes on a vine to ensure stronger flavor
Sweeter (24-26 brix)
Most European grapes
Table grapes
Bigger in size, thicker skin
Higher yield in production
Less sweet (17-19 brix)
Popular cold-hardy home garden cultivar: Concord
European grapes
(V. vinifera) great for wine production and table grapes but not cold-hardy.
American grapes
(Vitis labrusca) Cold hardy and disease resistant. Strong flavors (musky), primarily used for juice and jelly.
French hybrids
Ideally, they have the disease resistance of the American types and the fruit qualities of the European types, including a milder flavor profile more suitable to winemaking. Moderately cold-hardy.
Muscadine grapes
(V. rotundifolia) large, round fruit with very thick slipskins. Native to SE of the US so not suitable for Utah.
Requirements
In Utah, it’s better to plant bare roots in spring to give the most time to get established.
Water
Young plant needs water once a week. Established vine only needs water when it’s extremely hot or drought. Apply water only to the root zone. Avoid getting grape foliage wet as this can encourage many grape diseases
Soil
Prefer well-drained, deep, fertile loams, PH 5.5 – 6.5 but can adapt to many types of soil.
Sun/shade
Grapes prefer warm weather and 8+ hrs full sun is required. The fruits can get sunburn in extreme heat.
Pruning
80-90% of the new growth is pruned off each winter. This is because grapes are produced on new shoots, not old branches. Keep in mind that heavy pruning provides the best fruit.
Young vine
- Choose the healthiest 1-2 main canes, and remove the rest.
- Prune off all of the lateral canes that are branching off of the main one.
- Tie this cane to a stake or to the fence and encourage it to grow straight up.
Old vine
- Remove all old, dead vine
- Table, juice, and jelly varieties can have 40 – 60 buds per vine after pruning, but wine varieties should have only 20 – 30 buds per vine after pruning.