I’m not a big wine drinker, but when Molly and I visited Fredericksburg this spring I couldn’t help but pick up a few grape vines. I picked up 2 of each of the three varieties available – Black Spanish, Blanc du Bois, and Champanel. These are the predominant wine grapes in Central Texas as they are resistant to Pierce Disease and our high humidity. I made sure to pick pots that had two vines growing so I could split them. That, coupled with the hardwood cuttings I put in my growing bed, I was able to turn $150 into about 25 viable grapevines.
Grapevines are super easy to root via hardwood cuttings. Just cut off some of last year’s vine (brown part) with a few nodes on it, dip in rooting hormone, and stick in the ground. I made a propagation bed of perlite, sand, and peat so I could remove the cuttings without damaging the roots and replant them. I use this bed for other things (you’ll soon be reading about my pecans), so it was handy. If this works, I’ll keep propagating cuttings and will expand over the years.
And of course what vineyard is complete without a trellis and arbor? This trellis runs parallel to the house a few feet from the pasture fence. I needed a way to get to the other side of the wire, so the arbor is really just a gateway. The black hose is drip line irrigation.
So in a few years we hope to be raising a glass of Amber Oaks Wine.
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