Illinois was the fourth largest producer of wine grapes in the US up until Prohibition in 1919. Johns Great-grandmother being one of those paid up card carrying tough old prohibition women. I even have her prohibition prayer cards to prove it somewhere around here. During this period many vineyards were ripped out and put into corn and beans. My throat clenches at the thought. Sometimes a few vines were kept for (wink) ‘juice’. Since prohibition was lifted in 1933 the grapes have begun to slowly creep back into the state.
So Our John and I thought we would help out with the growth of local wine production. As our patriotic duty of course.
This year will be our first vintage. Though vintage is rather a grand term grand as I only have twenty vines producing so far. This is the third summer for these vines and so we are looking at a small but (fingers crossed) decadent harvest. I have planted Vidal Blanc. A sweet grape on a tough sub zero rootstock. It does not mind the terribly cold winters we have here and loves the dry breezy summers. This grape is perfect for those little bottles of sticky whites. Known as dessert wine in some circles. Later when I have more vines coming into production we will try our hand at an ice wine. But this season our objective is to get a nice quaffable wine into a bottle then back out again via a wine glass!
They have been grown organically so they are not the prettiest grapes. They were infested with the Japanese beetle a while ago so the vines are looking quite bare. Our trellisses and wires are sagging in some places. Those damn barn chooks spend way too much time in there. They were terribly pruned by a novice who is learning as she goes. But there are grapes there and this is the one crop that loves it dry at this time of year. 
In Hawkes Bay in New Zealand, where I grew up, there are thousands of acres under grapes. The wine industry is huge and growing so fast. Each winery has a fancy pancy restaurant and tasting rooms and a wine cellar for their magnificent products. We trail around the vineyards every summer, tasting and giggling our way across Hawkes Bay. There are even wine trail bus tours (not that the locals need THOSE, in fact we make sure to avoid them). My favourite one to watch go by is a wine trail on horseback. The tourists get a guide and a horse and wander through the lazy Hawke’s Bay summer grapevines tasting as they go. They (the fun police) tried to make it illegal to ride a horse whilst drinking wine but the trails actually go through the vineyards so it is all good. Only very gentle, very slow, very patient, very sober horses need apply for this position! It is advertised as a good way to avoid drunk driving. ( My little brother was once charged with being ‘drunk and in charge of a bicycle with a pot on his head’ – he said he could not find his helmet and it is against the law to ride a bike without a helmet in NZ. Obviously a sensible chappie. He had not been on a wine trail though.)
For table grapes I have grown the Concord. I know I should be making jelly but they are so tasty I cannot stop myself eating them off the vine. I am the bad bird pecking at the grapes.
So we are watching the Vidal, they will be netted this week to keep the chickens and starlings out and then we will wait for the optimum day and BEGIN!
Stay tuned.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
43 responses to “More wine, less whine.”
How exciting to be making wine for the first time. The grapes look lovely and better for being organic, I’m sure. I’m so glad to have found your blog through your comment on mine – I’ll be back to read some more soon!
Thank you olives, we are excited about the wine as well.. and we will be even more excited when we get to drink it.. it is the waiting that is the difficult bit. c
how awesome, well done and good luck!
These grapes look like little planets!
mimo you are so right. And soon I will crush my little planets and make wine, how awful! c
Some people use freshly crushed grapes mixed with rye flour to start their sourdough, too! Have no sourdough fear, madam. You keep bees have a cow, and make wine. Sourdough aint’ nothin’ but a thang….
Well the starter just came in the mail so now i shall begin activation, sounds like i am sending a rocket into space!!, though that grapes and rye flour thing.. mm..
Is the Vidal similar to a Nobel Late Harvest in taste, or more like a Muscadel?
The vidal is fruity and sweet even a bit raisiny, I call it a “sticky”. The bottles will be smaller that the usual wine bottle. I have a bottle of Muscadel in the basement actually so I whip that cork out and have a taste!
And we will see. c
“They were terribly pruned…” We’re planing to start some vines this coming spring, but I’ve yet to do any research on the subject (typically). So…maybe you could suggest a website (or book) that you’ve found especially good for learning the basics? Like pruning, for example… 😉
The thing to remember with grapes is that the fruit grows on first year wood. I learnt by watching other growers do it, and every time i see a vineyard i snoop about. This year I will train my leaders then prune everything growing from those leaders back to two buds. This is my rule of thumb. I will be doing this soon, when it is just a little bit colder, maybe I shall show the process. Remember you are going to wait three years for fruit so get them in the ground and start to train that leader straight up in the first year. Lovely to see you wandering about in my world.. c
Ooh what fun! I like your brother’s logic. 🙂
Aw, reminds me of good times on the Ohio islands of lake Erie – all vineyards and sweet, sweet wine. My hubby is a wine snob and disparages my poor taste in sugary wine, but I know he’d love one of those tours! Maybe not on horseback, as I’ve yet to convince him to get up on one.