Buds Pushing.

There is a definite whiff of spring in the air. The birds are chirping, the first bees are on the wing, they surely know things are looking up.

But what they don't know is that the grapevines in the polytunnel are pushing out buds. Safely cocooned in a warm sheltered environment some them are already waking up.

This is Oberlin 595 clearly showing buds in the "wool" stage, the point between buds swelling and the first green showing.

And these are Solaris, only a little behind the Oberlin 595 but not by much.

What is noticeable is that all these cuttings seem to be pushing buds evenly increasing the chances of a good number of them rooting.

First Growth 2012.

The two young potted Regent plants have sprung into life. The buds have broken early meaning that they will get the maximum growing period giving them the best chance to bulk up.

They both have the dominant apical bud (the topmost one) pushing strongly with lower buds breaking too.

Now I need to keep the frost away from them for the next few weeks.

Lakemont.

The last of the vines planted in the polytunnel is Lakemont. This is a variety that has an excellent write up, a top notch seedless eating white grape, reliable, heavy cropping and able to ripen outside too. It sounds like a very worthwhle addition to the collection.

Behind are five cuttings Of Solaris and three of Suffolk Red. Solaris is generating a lot of excitement in northern european countries because of its disease resistance, very early ripening, high sugars and good wine. It grows vigorously so needs to be well spaced out and kept in check. A small price to pay for such valuable grapes.

Suffolk Red  is another seedless grape suited to amateur growers. Large pink grapes hang in loose clusters so botrytis should not be a problem. They are delicious and can be ripened outside so should be particularly useful.

Perlette Options.

This is a young Perlette in the polytunnel with cuttings of Kyoho grape and Oberlin 595.

Perlette is a highly recommended quality seedless grape. It produces early inside with delicious white grapes. It is said that it is liable for the berries to split somewhat near ripening though we will see if that is the case with this vine. It made enough pencil thick wood last year for me to leave a short spur when I pruned it. This may give me the option of letting it bear one bunch, or a half bunch, this year. Of course I can also decide not to let it fruit at all to concentrate its efforts into growing stronger before I allow fruit to form. It's a matter of keeping my options open.

Kyoho is probably the largest grape bearing variety that there is. The individual berries are huge, like small plums. The japanese rate them as one of the most highly prized dessert fruits. They cannot be ripened outside in this country so one will be planted in the lean to conservatory. I have four cuttings so at least one should grow.

This shows how large Kyoho grapes are.

I also have four cuttings of Oberlin 595. This variety bears small black grapes that hang down in a straight cylinder shape. What they lack in size, though, they make up for in flavour. On their own they can make an excellent beaujolais style wine or can be used with good effect in a blend. They ripen early and consistently too.

More Cuttings Waiting.

Here are three more varieties planted at the end of the pollytunnel furthest from the door. They are Gagarin Blue, Glenora, and Interlaken.

Glenora and Interlaken are both seedless varieties, Glenora is a black seedless and Interlaken is claimed to be the best variety for use as raisins.

Gagarin Blue is highly praised as one of the very best grapes for the UK climate. They are tasyy and you can expect a reliable harvest most years. All three of these varieties will grow well and ripen outdoors so I have high hopes for these cuttings. I just have to hope they root.

Superior Seedless By Name....

The second of the polytunnel grape vines is a commercial seedless variety called Superior Seedless though I have seen it also referred as SugarOne. Even though many of the grapes I grow are good quality this variety is regarded as superb quality. It will be great if that was borne out next year when I may allow a grape bunch to form, if only to test the hype surrounding it. For this year it will be all about getting as much strong growth as possible.

Behind are cuttings of two black varieties, Agat Donski and Cabernet Cortis.

Agat Donski is an extra early variety, september ripening, perfect for northern, short season climates. The fruit is good size and dual purpose so they make excellent desert fruit or made into wine. I think it is a variety even scottish growers could grow reliably. Below is a picture of ripe Agat Donski grapes.

Cabernet Cortis is causing quite a sensation in the UK as it is a variety that not only has Cabernet Sauvugnon as one of its parents but gives a cabernet style wine. Because of that it is being planted in increasing numbers here. I plan eventually to blend the Cabernet Cortis grapes with the Cabernet Sauvugnon ones in the greenhouse to make a more authentic cabernet wine.

Inside the Polytunnel. Muscat Bleu.

There are four main vines in the polytunnel and cuttings from eleven different varieties that will begin sprouting in the next couple of months all being well.

Here is a young Muscat Bleu grapevine that was planted last autumn. Sheltered in here it should grow more strongly than if it were planted outside. I'm hoping for some strong growth with some wood thick enough to be used as fruiting wood next year. Time will tell.

The cuttings you see behind the Muscat Bleu are of Auguste Louise and Beauty Seedless. Auguste Louise is a white variety that is believed to have originally come from Wisley. It is described as early with big bunch and  berry recommended as a good outdoor dessert. Another source thinks that the vines have weak growth so the plants may need to grow more strongly than usual before fruiting begins.

Beauty Seedless has large bunches even if the berries are a little small. It is said to be early and can be grown outside. It doesn't matter if the berries turn out to be smaller since they could possibly be dried for raisins. Alternately they could be eaten fresh as they are said to be delicious.

It's good for me to have new varieties coming along as it gives be a sense of excitement and achievment watching vines develop to maturity.

More Wake Up Time.

It's time to put the cover back on the polytunnel. In a month or so the temperatures in there will rise into the twenties centigrade that will encourage the vines and the cuttings into growth.

I will introduce the various cuttings later when the buds begin to swell giving us an idea of how many are going to root successfully. The main vines grown in here are Perlette, Lakemont, Muscat Bleu and Superior Seedless. I'm really looking forward to seeing these romp away in the extra heat and shelter the polytunnel provides.

Here it is with the cover replaced. It can only be a week or two before we see the first signs of vines waking up and breaking dormancy.

Cabernet Sauvignon Comes In From The Cold.

The temperature in the greenhouse is regularly getting into the mid teens celsius to the early twenties on very sunny days. These temperatures can only go higher as the days get longer and the sun rises higher in the sky.

This is the beginning of the long road to my Cabernet Sauvignon style wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon vine is only young. It is a variety that cannot be ripened outside so will be trained onto the greenhouse and cropped in there. Here is is out in the cold.

And here it is with a couple of shoots inside in the warmth. Hopefully the start of some vigorous growth this year. Once it begins to feel the warmth it should respond.

It is destined to be blended with Cabernet Cortis to make a cabernet style wine. Cabernet Cortis is a variety that ripens well outside and like Cabernet Sauvignon one of it's parent it produces a cabernet style wine, one of a growing number of varieties fit for this country that do.