Did you know that vineyards don’t grow their own vines?

It’s not because they are lazy; it’s because it would be impossible to grow a vineyard from seed and have any consistency.

Grapes are not ‘true to seed.’ Unlike humans, whose offspring look just like them, grapes are extremely genetically variable. So are apples, pears, blueberries, and cherries. The five or so seeds you get out of any one grape will produce five completely different plants, which may or may not have anything in common with the ‘parent’ plant.

How, you ask, do we have vineyards then? And multiple vines that are the same varietal.

Humans and aggressive plants. Vines grow best by propagation, which they will do in nature. Think about any vining, climbing plant. We have native Texas grapevines surrounding the Grape Lady warehouse, Mustang grapes. It sounds picturesque until I tell you that they are not tasty to eat and don’t make good wine. But they are practically impossible to kill. If they aren’t given a trellis, they just crawl along the ground, putting down roots and popping up in new places. By the fence, trying to take over the driveway. If the vines are cut at some point, the new roots just support the plant as an individual. Humans can do this purposefully—though I don’t recommend doing it with the Mustang grapes. Burying a new growth off a vine and pinning it so that it grows new roots. Then, a year or so later, cutting the tether to the mother vine, and you have a new plant. But it needs to develop strong roots—on average, the vines take four to seven years to produce fruit that can be made into wine.

In the Middle Ages, it was mainly done by monks who had lots of time to choose the plants that produced the best fruit and multiply them. Today, this work is generally done at vine nurseries. When a winery wants to expand its vineyards, they will order baby vines the winemaker or grower has selected from a catalog. Because it isn’t as simple as ordering 500 Pinot Noir vines. Which type of Pinot Noir vines? The types are referred to as ‘clones.’ Because when you propagate off of a mother vine, you are making a genetic clone of that plant. Different clones may do better in different types of soils, have better viral resistance, or throw slightly different flavors. Think of all the different types of tomatoes at the store—or better yet—at the farmer’s market. Varietals—like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon—are like Roma and Cherry tomatoes—but the clones are very specific—like Black Krim Beefsteak tomatoes or Matt’s Sweet Cherry.

So if you want to start your own vineyard, I would suggest contacting a vine nursery to get started. Buy a few of these plants- but be aware it may take a few years from them to start producing fruit.  Also, do a lot of research first. Just because you love Chardonnay, doesn’t mean it will grow well here in Texas.

Cheers,