Three Easy Steps in Grape Gardening

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The process of growing grapes has been around for centuries, since the early days of human civilization. A process used all over the world, growing your own grapes is a rewarding practice that leads to the even more gratifying procedure of making wine.

First Step: Picking the Right Grape Cultivar

The first step to growing your grapes is to buy grapevines. Aside from picking from the general red or white grapes, you will also have to select from European grape varieties and Hybrid grape Varieties. European grape varieties are commonly used in warm climates, with long growing seasons and in grapevines where traditional wining methods are employed, such as in California. Hybrid grape varieties, on the other hand, have evolved to become highly resistant to cool weather and common plant diseases, making them the most popular variety amongst harvesters in areas of cold weather and short-lived growing seasons.

Second Step: Creating Prime Growing Conditions

Looking after grapevines by providing enough sunlight and fertile soil is vital to obtaining a good harvest for your wine making. Adequate sunlight ensure sweet grapes taht are good for fermenting, while a nutrient-poor soil will stress the vine so that the fruit is small and appetizing. A smaller fruit means more skin, the essence of the grapes’ color and flavor.

Third Step: Determining Harvest Time

Time will come to harvest your grapes, and you have to ensure that they have fully ripened. A hydrometer will help you measure the sugar content of the fruit to determine its ripeness. Before proceeding to the fermentation step, you will need to stabilize the acidity levels with special chemicals that can be purchased at your local wine making supply store. There you will also find other handy supplies such as bottles, corks, hydrometers and more. Acidity-wise, you will need to pay special attention to hybrid grape harvests, since these generally offer fruits with higher amounts of acidity than the European grape varieties.