Takumi (Pioneer of the sea) and famous vinifera grower in Missouri. 

The thought of someone growing vinifera in Missouri arouses a lot of questions.  Here are some of the questions we get a lot and Takumi's answers.

Q: Takumi, why are you growing vinifera in Missouri, isn't it too cold and won't the vines die in the winter?

A:  We have been growing vinifera since 1997.  The winter kill on the varieties we are growing is between -11 and -14 degrees.  The following is the Primary Bud Kill (PB) and Plant Kill degrees for vinifera that we recommend:

Primary bud kill means that the plant doesn't die, it just gets knocked back for that year with most buds dying.  You will have to train new shoots from the scion just above the graft union.  Plant kill is as you expect.  With French Hybrids you are probably only picking up 4 degrees on each of these columns.  Is there risk?  Sure, but it's the risk-reward equation.  Vinifera is risky anywhere outside CA.  We think we are in a global warming trend and expect it to continue. 

Q: Takumi, do I need to hill up the graft unions on the vinifera?

A: Yes, especially in the first 3 years.  Also, in lower spots of the vineyard and less well draining areas it is best to hill up the vines in the winter on all vinifera if your winter are like ours in Missouri.  You may find after the vines are 4-5 years old, this is no longer required.  But especially in the first winter, the new plants have graft unions that are very tender.  We had -4 degrees in Dec of '05 that would have killed a lot of your plants if you had not hilled up.  The studies from Michigan show that the average temperature under soil is +21 vs. +7 under straw or mulch.  We bought a hydraulic hoe that makes the process easier.  If you plant vinifera, don't follow the planting instructions from the CA nursery of putting graft union 4"-6" above the ground.  Instead, put the graft union 1-2" above the ground and it will be easier to hill up the vines in the fall.  Then you will have de-hill the vines in late Feb or March, so that the scion (part of plant above the graft union) doesn't root and then you could get phylloxera, the root eating parasite.

Q: Takumi, what about this native grape called Norton, some say it is a good grape to grow in the Midwest and make good wine?

A:   I grew Norton and Chambourcin at my father-in-laws farm in Southeast Missouri.  I didn't like the challenges to making wine, Norton has a tendency to come off the vine with high PH and high TA numbers.  This makes vinification a difficult task.  I personally don't like the nose or the taste on these two varieties.  You may like it, so knock yourself out.  Needless to say, the Norton and Chambourcin went up in smoke and Chardonnay is now in its place.  You have to understand, grape growing is a lot of work.  It takes minimum 3 years to get a decent crop and 5 years to get a great crop.  Do you want to spend that much time (5 years) and your end result is wine that is mediocre but bragging rights that you are ready for the -15 degree winters?  Oh, I'm sorry Norton is the official grape of Missouri, Takumi should be nice to it, right?  Takumi not running for political office.

Q: Takumi, but what about Chardonel, isn't it more winter hardy than growing Chardonnay?

A:  Chardonel is a cross between Chardonnay and Sevyal Blanc.  Why grow Chardonel when you can grow Chardonnay?  The winter hardiness is only a few degrees different.   I know growers who are hilling up their Chardonel like we do our Chardonnay. Studies at Virginia Tech indicate that since Chardonel is 50% vinifera, one should be cautious about planting Chardonel anywhere on its own roots.  Phylloxera, the root eating parasite, has killed Chardonel in Virginia.  So, if you are going to go with grafted vines, you might want to look at just buying Chardonnay instead.  You be the judge. 

Q:  Takumi, I have tasted Sevyal Blanc and Vidal Blanc French hybrid wine and liked it, do you recommend these grapes?

A: I think these two white varieties in the French hybrids make acceptable, occasionally good but rarely memorable wine.  You will probably pick up 4 degrees in the PB and WK category in Sevyal Blanc.  The grape Vidal Blanc is not much different than Chardonnay in the PB and WK category according to studies. 

Q:  Takumi, what vinifera reds would you recommend to grow in the Midwest?

A: I would highly recommend Cabernet Franc since it is very winter hardy and seems to ripen faster than its cousin Cabernet Sauvignon.  The clone 332 is very nice. In 2006 harvest, we got less acid reduction as we picked the CF at 23-24 Brix than other clones.  Also, the wine is a little softer than Cab Sauvignon and more food friendly.  The other red grapes would be Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  My experience with Cabernet Sauvignon is that it buds later than Cab Franc and it a little more winter tender.  The ripening on the Cab Sauvignon is more even than Cab Franc, a good thing.  You will have to ripen to first or second week in October to get the ideal ripening of Cab Sauvignon.  I have second leaf Petit Verdot.  So I my direct experience is limited.  From my discussions with a winery friend in Ohio and experience in Virginia, I think this will be a good red.  I plan to plant a half acre more of this variety in the next few years to be used as a blending grape.  Another grape that is very winter hardy is Lemberger.  This variety is a mainstay in Austria and called Blaufrankisch.  You can find some of this wine under a name Blue Franc with some suppliers like Shooting Star.  It is grown in eastern Washington state.  I do have some plantings of Syrah and Mourvedre.  This season 2006 will give me more to discuss about Syrah and Mourvedre later.

Q:  Takumi, what about Concord grapes, they produce 20 pounds per plant.  I could make a lot of wine with very little planting of that grape?

A: A Wiseman once  told me to not grow grapes that taste bad.  Yes, you can make a lot of wine, a lot crappy wine that no one wants to drink!.  I wouldn't drink the crap if you paid me.  Go grow the concord and give your friends Mogen David wine! Would you go to the store and buy Mogen David?  It sucks.  The grapes suck.  And you will probably suck if you grow Concord and make wine from it.

More questions can be submitted to Takumi by clicking here:  Questions