Mitchell Vineyard 2022
(If you are using your cell phone scroll down for the Varieties and Prices)
Welcome to Spring 2022
We have been doing some pruning the past several weeks and have found most of our grapevine buds in good condition. We weren't sure what to expect initially since last year was very unusual in many respects but were pleased by what we found. We were also glad that we had no -20F or colder temps this past winter.
We are about 60% of our 1st round of pruning, which is selecting which canes we will leave for the 2nd round of pruning. Round two will come as late as we can allow it. We wait until the apical buds, those at the far end of the cane, develop and push leaves before we cut back to the 2 basal buds, those nearest the cordon. This can give us an additional week of frost protecion since the apical buds push first. The will begin to push where pruning cuts have ben made on the cane.
After frost or freeze we get on with the other aspects of growing grapes.
PRUNING CLASSES
Mitchell Vineyard Pruning class Spring 2022.
Due to circumstances the class we had originally scheduled for Saturday, April 9, we have had to cancel.
Instead we will have the 1 class on Sunday, April 10, noon-1:30 PM, and will extend it to 1.5 hours. Please see the Pruning Classes sidebar for more info.
GRAPEVINES
If you are interested in planting grapevines this Spring please contact The Wine & Hop Shop, 1919 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711, 608-257-0099
They will be selling some varieties of grapevines this Spring.
They have experience with grapevines and have also made wine from our vineyard. Ask them about available varieites.
Thank you very much our customers and visitors in 2021. We hope you have enjoyed yourself visiting our beautiful vineyard and may your wine be enjoyed this coming year and in the future!
You may wear facemasks if you need to or are more comfortable with using one. With the Delta variant about you will want to take care of yourself and others.
For more info, please see the sidebar "Pick Your Own Grapes Info."
If you desire have your whites pressed, please have them ready 1.5 hours before closing time. It helps us get out after a long day of helping all our friendly customers. Thank you!
Grapes 2022 |
We are now a mid-season. |
Start Date
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Brix, % sugar Sep ? (update)
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Acid Level | Potential and current size |
Concord | Wine, juice, eating |
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17- 18 | Still nice | |
Foch |
Red wine, blends very well with P. Pearl & Marquette |
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21+ | low | |
Marquette | Red wine, great flavor | 22-23 brix | |||
St. Croix | Red, smooth, low acid, early provides recommended flavor profile | 20 brix (low brix is recommended) | low |
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Petite Pearl | Red wine, depth of flavor, popular | 19.5 | |||
Frontenac |
Red, big flavor, dry or can produce great port style |
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24 brix | solid! | Out! |
LaCrescent | White, a favorite, highly desired | 21.5 (golden) | Out! | ||
Delaware | Rose, delicous, tasty, beautiful clusters | 21 | Out! | ||
Itasca | White, new, low acid, popular SOLD OUT! | low | Out! | ||
St Pepin | White, nice dry wine | 21 brix | Out! | ||
Muscat | White, delicious when fully ripe. Very small crop in 2022 | 21Brix, very low | Out! |
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Grape Prices 2021 Tuesdays (1-5:30), Saturdays (10-4) & Sundays (12-4)
We will determine our 2022 prices in early August.
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Variety |
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0-30 lb |
31-100 lb |
100+ lb |
300- 1,000 |
1000+ lb |
Concord |
Purple, wine, eat |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
Delaware | pink, eating, wine | 1.95 | 1.70 | 1.50 | 1.40 | n/a |
Foch |
Red, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
Marquette |
Red, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
St Croix |
Red, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
Frontenac |
Red, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
Petite Pearl | Red, wine | 1.95 | 1.70 | 1.50 | 1.40 | n/a |
LaCrescent |
White, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
1.40 |
1.10* |
Istaca |
White, wine |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
St Pepin |
White, wine |
1.95 |
1.70 |
1.50 |
n/a |
n/a |
Aromella |
White, dessert |
1.95 |
1.70 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
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* If we pick the grapes for you the price 1,000 lbs or over is $1.25/lb.
(We need as much lead time as possible due to labor shortages)
Winemaking Supplies & Equipment We have a lot of extra supplies at the vineyard, including:
Yeasts, nutrients, other winemaking chemicals, jugs, plastic pails, in various sizes. We are not a full-time wine and beer shop, but we carry the essentials.
Vineyard Items to sell:
Aluminum picking trays, vineyard wire (and lots of it), in various lengths and sizes, trellis and vine equipment including wire catches, rubber tying bands, various VSP clips, \ GDC arms..all at very good prices. call us at 608 225 9210
We also have now a Howard Rototiller, 6' long
It can rototill anything. Works on a 3 pt hitch. $300
Our Aluminum Picking trays are just $15 each. Can be used for strawberries, grapes, anything you can fit in them. These can never rust. Will last as long as you do!
Variety Description
Concord...a very good sized crop of this tasty purple immensely popular grape variety.
Frontenac...one of our largest crops of this variety. So, if you like a sweet wine or a port this would be a good year for Frontenac.
Foch...we have a large sized crop of this versatile red variety. It has become very popular as the basis for the blending of very good wines.Quite easy picking.
St. Croix....this early picking, soft to the taste, soft, red grape looks very good this year. If you liked it in the past be sure to get on it early. Beautiful red color. Picking in late August 2021
Marquette...this very popular variety has a very nice crop. We have tried to increase our amount each year to satisfy our customers.
Petite Pearl...We have our largest crop so far of this shy bearing red grape. This late season red should ripen a bit early this year as we have controlled its quantity to have that happen.
LaCrescent . a very popular white...we have a good sized crop, but is popular so goes quickly.
St Pepin white. This vine has been more and more popular . It makes a nice dry or semi-dry wine.
Delaware. this very popular light red grape which makes a nice wine and is delicious eating has a limited crop. The clusters we have are very nice though. It will go early. So be prepared.
Itasca.... we have a larger crop in 2021, than the very small crop of 2020. But the supply is still limited. It is a new white with a low acidity so it should produce a white wine that is easy to make since it may need little or no acid reduction.
Muscat This is a very nice white, later harvest grape. It needs a long season to ripen well. W have a small crop of it this season because we are replacing it with Itasca. Our coustomers have seldom left it alone long enough to fully ripen it's delicious later season flavors.
2020 GRAPE AND VINEYARD INFORMATION
GOOD CROP OF MOST OF OUR VARIETIES THIS YEAR!
This may be an especially good year. The vines have responded to the rain and heat with a very nice crop. While we still have a couple of weeks to go before harvest we are hopeful they will meet your expectations. We are also glad they are an outside crop which should make the picking safer were it otherwise
SEEDLESS GRAPES
Sorry folks, we took out our seedless grapes. They ripened too early and the birds loved them.
So, do we eat grapes? Yes we do, just about constantly. But they have seeds you say! Some of us swallow the seeds, some of us spit them out, others simply chew them. They are full of vitamins and minerals. And grape seed oil is made from them commercially, which produces an available oil which is lighter than olive oil but contains higher amounts of minerals and vitamins than Olive oil. Dave cooks with it a lot, more than olive oil. And by the way....when the seeds are nutty, crunchy and taste good, the grape is ready for picking....it is mature.
WHITES
Please remember that pressing white grapes can take a while. Please help us by having your whites or reds ready for pressing at least 1.5 hours before closing time. Reds are almost always fermented on skins before pressing. This makes a fuller bodied and flavored wine than just fermenting on the juice, as is done with white wine.
REDS
Frontenac mmunity to downy mildew and fair resistance to powdery mildew. Black rot must be controlled. This grape is very popular for making port wines and makes a good dry red wine if the higher acidity level is dealt before or during fermentation. We have winemaking directions at the vineyard. The crop looks nice this year and is one of our largest of this variety.
Foch A very nice, large crop this year! We think you will be happy at the ease of picking. This is the most widely planted red wine grape in the Midwest and upper mid-west. It can be made into a variety of styles and is a very good grape for being the base wine in any blend. Try it as a medium rose wine, chilled. Delicious! Make a light red wine, easy to quaff or ferment on the skins longer for more tannins and aging potential. Foch has cherry notes. We have a large, easy to pick crop of Foch this season. A small amount of Foch in a white wine can give you an attractive, delicious rose wine.
Marquette One of our favorite red wine grapes. Very good resistance to downy mildew, moderate susceptibility to powdery mildew and black rot. This is one of our more popular red grapes. It has more tannins than other reds and has a high sugar and alcohol content. We have a larger than average, nice crop of it this year
Petite Pearl This season of 2021 it look exceptionally nice, with a large crop of huge clusters. Low acid levels make Petite Pearl ideal for northern red winemaking. It makes a standalone varietal wine and also serves as a valuable blending component. The wine has a dark red garnet color. It shows complexity in aroma and flavor that can be easily shaped by yeast selection and blending. The grape chemistry of Petite Pearl has been lauded as being vinifera-like (Brix ranging from 22-24.5, pH of 3.3-3.6 and titratable acidity of 6 — 7 g/L.) In addition, the wine has no labrusca-like or 'hybrid” aromas or flavors..
It is a later season red..so patience is required to pick it at it's best
St Croix Very susceptible to downy mildew. Medium crop and juicy, juicy, flavorful and soft. This makes a very soft, early maturing, easy to drink red wine with low acidity. A good blending grape. If you prefer mellowness in your wine this is a good choice. It is ready to drink sooner than most other reds. We have a very nice and large crop this year. St Croix makes a medium to full-bodied, dry, deep red wine with soft tannins and good fruit aromas, along with currant and other dried fruit flavor qualities. It is often picked at 17 - 19- % sugar for best flavor. Don't wait too long to pick this variety. It will likely be gone after September 16. Alcohol is typically around 10- 11%
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WHITES
Please remember that pressing white grapes can take a while. Please help us by having your whites ready for pressing at least 1.5 hours before closing time. Reds are usually fermented on skins before pressing. This makes a fuller bodied and flavored wine than just fermenting on the juice, as is done with white wine.
LaCrescent Quite susceptible to downy mildew and black rot, but this is easily controlled with a careful spray program. is our most popular white wine. This grape provides honey, grapefruit, and tangerine aromas and flavors. We have a very nice crop this year, our largest ever.. When you pick this grape make sure you pick the golden clusters, ideally on both sides.
Istaca This is a newer white variety. Our 2021 crop is larger than 2020, but it is just small moderae in size, and in demand. Itasca produces a dry, or sweet, white wine that is light yellow to straw in color and has aromas of pear, quince, violet, melon, minerals, and subtle honey notes. Itasca has exhibited lower acidity and higher sugar levels., Showing a high resistance to downy and powdery mildew and the insect Phylloxera. Itasca is considered a very hardy, disease resistant cultivar expected to reduce spray inputs. It should survive - 30 F temperatures.
For winemaking the acid is low, needing no adjustment, the sugar is high, it is disease resistant, and production is good. Have fun with this new variety this year. But supply will be limited! Our 2021 crop should be larger than 2020 because of more vines reaching maturity. This should be gone by the first weekend in August this year. It is also very popular with birds!
St Pepin This makes either a dry wine (one of my favorites) or a slightly sweet wine. It is having a nice crop for this light bearing grape. Makes a very fruity white wine. The grape has low acidity and moderate sugar content. Because it is thick skinned it is popularly used to make an "ice" wine. The crop looks good, but we have just 1 row, and the demand will be high. However, we cannot not save it here for ice wine. If you have your own grapes and want to put in the effort, give it a try. We wouldn’t mind tasting your effort if it works out.
AROMELLA/Muscat This grape is slowly being replaced by Itasca. It needs a long season to be at its best, but our customers have not been able to wait that long for it. We have planted Itasca grapes in its row. It ripens later than some varieties in September and is in high demand.
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TWO VERY POPULAR SPECIAL GRAPES CONCORD AND DELAWARE! YEA!
CONCORD What can you say? Big, purple, bursting with flavor, good for eating, juice, and wine. We have a large crop with large clusters this year. Everyone who has tasted this grape when young knows it will always be around. It is the ultimate in a very flavorful, very fruity, great tasting grape, how can you resist it? Why is it an extremely popular grape among the non-experts of wine tasting? It is because people like the flavor. It can be made dry, slightly sweet, moderately sweet, or as sweet as you might like. Remember, fermenting on the skins and then pressing afterwards will give you more of the famouns Concord PURPLE color! Of course this is your decision.
Did I mention sweet wine or fresh juice - again the Concord rules. We expect to harvest it early mid-to late September.
DELAWARE 2021 will find it back to its usually fine place in our list of varieties. this is a pink, light red beauty, that is tasteee. Don't wait too long on it this year. Among our fellow employees this probably takes top spot as favorite eating grape, seedless or wine variety. It is not well known outside the Eastern US, but once you taste it you won't forget it. It is popular as a pink and spicy, sparkling wine. The Delaware grape is also a table grape variety sold in supermarkets throughout Japan, where labrusca grape varieties are popular for their fragrance.
Join Our Newsletter - Get up to Date Information
If you would like to sign up for our newsletter, please fill out the info below. We do not give away any information from our newsletter. We will have mailings about 4 or 5 times a year announcing pruning and winemaking classes and our upcoming harvest. We also occasionally have some good used winemaking equipment available.