Blanc Du Bois Pedigree

The Pixiola has an interesting story.  The following is from Loren Stover's 'Breeding has produced better grapes for Florida' (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series, No. 21.)

"The Magruder brothers had found a wild, white, sweet, vigorous and prolific vine of V. Simpsoni (l.) in the woods near Leesburg. They called this to the attention of Mr. K. W. Loucks.  Our stocks of it were lost when he left the Leesburg laboratory, but it was collected again in 1943 and added to the collection at Whitney in the form of a nurse graft on Beacon roots.  Today this vine has developed its own roots and is in excellent condition.  The trunk is three inches in diameter, and the cane growth spans sixty feet.  For convenience we have called this vine Pixiola.  The original vine was observed to be very vigorous and was relatively free of grape diseases; consequently it has been used extensively in the controlled breeding program."

JA Mortensen adds in his monograph on 'Blanc Du Bois, A Florida Bunch Grape for Wine':

"Blanc DuBois was one of 19 segregants from a 1968 cross between Florida D6-148 and Cardinal.  Florida D6-148 was a PD resistant selection with purple fruit selected from 95 seedlings of a self-pollination of Florida A4-23."

Mortensen, J.A. 1987. Blanc Du Bois: A Florida Bunch Grape for White Wine. Agricultural Experiment Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville. Cir. S-340.

The Munson-Mortensen-Blanc DuBois link

TV Munson passed away in 1913.  His son, Bill Munson, passed away around 1925 (still looking for the material I read some time ago on this). In the early 30s, around the time prohibition was repealed, the Munson family (TV Munson's son's widow?)  donated the grape stock to Texas A&M, who moved it from Denison to the Winter Garden Experimental Station south west of San Antonio.

The station was run by Ernest Mortensen who continued grape breeding experiments from the early 30s to the late 40s.  During this time, he made progress towards the goal of a popular table or wine grape tolerant to the endemic grape diseases common to Texas: cotton root rot and Pierce's disease, but did not produce a commercially successful vine for the south Texas grower.  Around 1950, he seems to have retired and left the Experimental Station.  In 1951, Rio Grande Valley farmers decided, on their own, to plant Thompson Seedless at 5 large farms in the valley.  This turned out to be a complete disaster, as anyone with much knowledge of grapes could have predicted.  Unfortunately, Texas A&M took the brunt of industry criticism, and abandoned work on grape breeding.  In the early 60s, the Munson collection at the Experimental Station was bulldozed.

Fortunately, Ernest's son, who had grown up with both Munson vines and his father's grape breeding experiments, escaped first to Cornell and then to the University of Florida, where at the Leesburg, FL experimental station, he continued grape breeding efforts with Loren Stover.  In 1968, he performed the cross that would become 'Blanc Dubois'.  Blanc Dubois would eventually prove his father's vision was correct and  it is now widely grown in Texas.  Oddly enough, though bred in Florida, Blanc DuBois seems to produce the best wine when grown in Texas.

To provide some sense of the time required for a new grape variety to become commercially popular, let's follow the Blanc DuBois story.  The cross creating the variety was done in 1968.  The first fruit appeared in 1973.  In 1974, it was selected for further testing by Robert Bates, a professor of food processing at UF, and seems to have gone to the Lafayette Vineyard, not far from Leesburg, for field testing.  In 1986, it won prizes in international wine competition and was finally released to the public in 1987.  Mortensen retired from the University of Florida in 1991.

“Our original objective wasn’t to breed a grape for wine,” Mortensen said. “We were making a bunch grape for fresh eating that would ripen early and was disease resistant.”

There are 27 years between J.A. Mortensen's initial breeding efforts in 1960, and the 1987 release of Blanc DuBois.  One needs a very long perspective to participate in something like this.

Most of this story if from a master's thesis by Eric Sanchez titled "Forked Tendrils: Llano Estacado Winery and the Rise of the Modern Texas Wine Industry' (1996).   I'll quote it in length.

Texas A&M University Research

Texas A&M University was the first government institution to begin
research on grapes in Texas and on the South Plains. After the United States
government repealed the Eighteenth Amendment in December of 1933,
renewed interest in grape cultivation appeared. Funding for grape research
was limited and in the early 1930's, the Munson family turned over all of its
grape variety stocks to Texas A&M. Supported by federal and state funding,
researchers at Texas A&M's Extension Service began to conduct experiments
throughout the state, exploring whether or not a grape industry could
develop.32 Throughout the state of Texas, Texas A&M bmlt several
experiment stations. Of greatest importance to this discussion, Texas A&M
helped to build one on the South Plains and established another in Southeast
Texas.

Located on the Texas South Plains and built in 1909, Experimental
Sub-Station Number Eight began research efforts poised to develop
alternative-crop usage for West Texas farmers. The original site was in East
Lubbock, north from 19th street and inside the current Loop 289.
Researchers at the substation looked at every possible crop alternative on the
Texas South Plains, including grape cultivation. Records indicate that
investigators were trying to develop alternative crop uses of land on the South Plains and seeking to alleviate the dominance and high water needs of cotton and grain. 33

However, in 1937 Texas A&M dropped its research efforts for
alternative-crop usage in Lubbock and began focusing on improved cotton and
grain production. William N. Lipe, a former researcher at the Texas
Agricultural Extension Station in Lubbock, Texas, gave the following reason:
"I guess Texas A&M had decided that the program had lived out it usefulness,
based largely on the fact that growers at the time were satisfied with growing
cotton and grain products."34 Texas A&M did not renew its interest with
grape experiments on the South Plains until 1968.

In the early 1930s, horticulturist Ernest Mortensen became one of the
first individuals to foster applicable wine grape research in Texas. Texas
wine historian Sarah Jane English writes, "[a] highly intelligent man,
Mortensen grew up in an agricultural environment. After receiving a master's
degree from Texas A&M, he developed the Texas A&M Winter Garden
Research Center, in Southeast Texas, near Crystal City."35 Using Munson's
donated Vitis and hybrid varieties, Mortensen tried to hybridize disease resistant, native Vitis rootstock. He discovered several cultivars and
rootstocks which were resistant to indigenous diseases and pests, specifically
insects and nematodes.

English continues, "Mortensen selected healthy vines
from the wild throughout South Texas, recognizing the importance of
developing native roots. The LaPryor rootstock was the product of his work."36
Unfortunately, the cultivars with which Mortensen experimented
lacked acceptable fruit quality for wine production. Mortensen tried to produce V. vinifera cultivars on its own roots (self-rooted), but he failed.
Cotton rootrot and Pierce's disease eventuality terminated his efforts.3''

After working at Winter Garden Research Center for twenty-two years,
Mortensen left Crystal City in 1952. According to English, "Mortensen was
well on his way to making Texas a leader in viticulture research and grape
production. But in the early 1960s, a change in government priorities led to
bulldozing the grapes, ending the program."38

During the period 1937 to 1968, there were two reasons for the absence
of research on grape cultivation. English cites them both. First, the dismal
results of attempts to grow Thompson seedless grapes in South Texas
contributed. "In the 1950's, several South Texas farmers planted Thompson
seedless, a vinifera, for the early U.S. table grape market. They formed the
Lower Rio Grande Valley Grape Growers Association, and at least five large
vineyards were planted. "39

The South Texas vineyards died from three
afflictions: freeze or frost damage, cotton rootrot, and Pierce's disease. In the late 1950's, the afflictions eliminated the table grape industry in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. English cites in her book the following:
All the major horticulturists in the state were aware of this, and
it had a great deal to do with the philosophy toward grape
growing in Texas. Extension Service horticulturist Bluefford
Hancock and Professor Fred R. Brison did not want to lead
people in the wrong direction agriculturally. Based on failed
vineyards, they couldn't recommend commercial grapes to
farmers. 40

The second reason for the decline in grape research was the absence of
research proposals. The only other research conducted on grapes was by Uiel
Randolph, at the Fruit Investigation Laboratory, in Montague, Texas. 4i ^
George McEachern, as quoted by English, stated "Randolph did an
outstanding job between 1942 and 1962 and had an outstanding grape
research program. In 1962, Texas A&M decided to discontinue its research on
grapes because in the later years there were very few requests for grape
information. This was also following the South Texas table grape failure."^2

Sporadic planting of table and wine grapes, which often met with
failure, characterized the status of the wine-grape industry in Texas before
1960. Frequently, many farmers were ignorant of the complexity of grape
culture and the time needed to produce a healthy crop, a problem that existed
in the 1950s. The absence of quality research in terms of scope, inherent
climatic problems, and availability of continued governmental funding plagued the industry and political events such as the Eighteenth Amendment
severely hindered further research—even after the amendment's repeal in
1933. It was not until thirty years later, when a major expansion of wine
interest began farther west, that a viable modern wine-grape and wine
industry emerged in Texas and began to make serious efforts."

Circa 1976 list of grape varieties grown in Texas

The following is list of grape varieties grown in Texas, published around 1976 in Texas Fruit and Nut Varieties, by M. L. "Marty" Baker, Extension Horticulturist

AMERICAN GRAPES
Lenoir (Black Spanish) is a small, black grape which forms long, open clusters. The vine is vigorous and produces moderate crops. Lenoir is susceptible of leaf and fruit diseases and must be sprayed regularly. It is resistant to Pierce's Disease and can be grown on the Texas Gulf Coast. Lenoir has been reported as an outstanding variety in Texas since 1889.
Herbemont is a very small, brownish-red grape which forms a small, compact cluster. The vine is very vigorous, productive and tolerant of extreme hot and cold. Herbemont vines are Pierce's Disease-resistant and have a history of strong health and long life in south Texas. G. Onderdonk of Victoria County considered Heremont his best variety in 1889. Herbemont grapes produce a very sweet juice which is excellent for fermenting.
Champanel is a large, black grape which forms a relatively large, loose cluster. The vine is very vigorous and very tolerant of heat and drought. Champanel grows well in alkaline and black soils, so it is adapted to areas of North Central Texas which can produce no other variety. Champanel is an excellent grape arbor variety.
Favorite is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium-sized, compact clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous and very productive. Favorite was discovered as a seedling of Black Spanish in Brenham, Texas. It is very similar to Black Spanish but has higher quality fruit.
Ellen Scott is a large, purplish grape which forms large, even-shouldered clusters. The vine is vigorous, moderately productive and the fruit has high quality.
Beacon is a large, black grape which forms large, moderately compact clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous, very productive and well adapted to Central Texas.
Carman is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium to large, compact clusters. The vine is vigorous and resistant to insects and disease. At one time Carman was the most widely grown variety in North Texas. This was due to its vigor, hardiness, and fruitfulness. It is the highest yielding variety grown in Montague County.
Fredonia is a large, black grape which forms large, compact clusters. The vine is hardy and vigorous. Fredonia is very similar to Concord, but does not have uneven ripening.
Golden Muscat is a large, white grape which forms large, loose clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous and very productive. Golden Muscat is an excellent table grape variety, and is well adapted to North Central Texas.

FRENCH, VITUS VINIFERA, GRAPES
Thompson Seedless is a white grape which forms large, long clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.
French Colombard is a medium-sized, white grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vine is very vigorous with dense foliage.
Emerald Riesling is a medium-sized, yellowish grape which forms large, long clusters. The vines are vigorous.
Chenin Blanc is a medium-sized, white grape which forms large, compact, clonical clusters. The Vines are vigorous.
Barbera is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium-sized, short clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous and form relatively small canes.
Ruby Cabernet is a medium-sized, black, round grape which forms medium-sized, long clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.
Petite Sirah is a medium-sized, black, round grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.

FRENCH-AMERICAN HYBRID GRAPES
Seibel 9110 (Verdelet) is a medium-sized, yellow grape which forms large, moderately compact clusters. The vines are productive, vigorous, hardy and disease resistant. The berry is semi-seedless, with an edible rudimentary seedcoat but no true seeds. Seibel 9110 has produced very well in North and South Central Texas, and is a strongly recommended variety.
Seyve-Villard 12-375 (Villard blanc) is a medium-sized, white grape which forms large, loose clusters. Seyve-Villard 12-375 is a very good variety in Arkansas and Oklahoma and is recommended for trail plantings.
Aurelia is a large, white grape which forms short, loose clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous, relatively disease resistant and very productive. The berries may contain no seeds or as many as three. Aurelia has produced well in South Central Texas.
Himrod is a small, round, white grape which forms medium-sized, loose cluster. The vines are moderately vigorous, moderately productive and cold hardy. Himrod has produced well in the Winter Garden area.
Carolina Blackrose is a large, black grape which forms large, loose clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous but not disease resistant. In moist environments this variety must be sprayed to prevent black rot.

MUSCADINES
Hunt is a medium-sized, black grape which forms large clusters. The vines are very productive, vigorous and disease resistant. Hunt is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Jumbo is a very large, black grape which forms large clusters. The vines are vigorous and disease resistant. Jumbo will ripen over a long period of time. Jumbo is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Cowart is a very large, black grape which forms very large clusters. The vine is vigorous and very productive. Cowart forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.
Higgins is a very large, reddish-bronze grape which forms large clusters. The vine is very productive, vigorous and disease resistant. Higgins is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Carlos is a small, bronze grape which forms a medium-sized cluster. The vine is vigorous, disease resistant and very productive. Carlos forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.
Magnolia is a medium-sized, bronze grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous and productive. Magnolia forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.

GRAPE ROOTSTOCKS
Dog Ridge is a seedling selection of Vitis champini. It forms roots relatively well and stimulates vigor in many varieties grafted onto it. Dog Ridge is graft-compatible with most French, American and French-American varieties. Dog Ridge is resistant to rootknot nematodes.
Champanel is a T. V. Munson hybrid selected in 1893 from Vitis Champini x Vitis labrusca var. Worden. It is a very vigorous rootstock. Champanel cuttings root well. It is tolerant to heat and drought. Champanel grows in most soils, but is most valuable on heavy clay soil where few rootstocks grow well. Champanel is somewhat tolerant to cotton root rot. It is excessively vigorous to light sandy soil.
LaPryor is a native hybrid with Mustang, Vitis candicans, grapes appearing to be in its parentage. It roots relatively well and is very compatible with some American hybrids. LaPryor is very tolerant to cotton root rot.

Dr. J. A. Mortensen

Dr. John Mortenson from Florida Ag Hall of Fame on Vimeo

Dr. Mortensen, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, bred Blanc DuBois, Stover, Conquistador, Dixie, Orlando Seedless.and many others.  He was born in 1929 (San Antonio) and grew up at the Texas experimental station at Winterhaven and Crystal City.  He received BA (1950) and MA (1951) degrees from Texas A&M, and a Doctorate in 1957 from Cornell.  In 1960, he accepted a position with the University of Florida at their Leesburg Station near Orlando.  He worked there until he retired in 1991.

I came across this interesting link between D. Mortensen and T.V. Munson:
"Dr. John Mortensen, who spent a very productive career at the Leesburg Station and developed most of the successful Florida grape varieties now in use, came from Texas. There, his father, E. Mortensen a county extension agent planted out grapes for T.V. Munson in evaluations that eventually led to Munson hybrids and the resurgence of grapes in Florida in the early 1900s."

Florida Grape History

 Doing a little more hunting, I came across Dr. George Ray McEachern's A Texas Grape and Wine History:

"In 1931, a large A&M research vineyard was established at the Winter Garden Experiment Station at Winter Haven, Texas by Ernest Mortensen. More than a thousand grape and rootstock varieties were tested until 1952 when the project was closed. When the Munson and Son's Nursery was closed at Denison, Texas the collection of Munson varieties was moved to the Winter Garden Station. Mortensen established Dog Ridge, Champanel and LaPryor as outstanding cotton root rot resistant rootstocks. He identified LeNoir, Champanel and Edna as good fruit producers. He also identified LeNoir, Herbemont and Barlinka as resistant to Vine Disease which we now know as Pierce's Disease. Mortensen also established that Vitis vinifera varieties have serious Black Rot problems in southwest Texas."

80% of 2012 seeds potted

There is an odd magic about potting seeds.  As I'm dropping seeds in the soil, there is a voice in my head saying 'no way a grape vine emerges from this.'  But, it does.

The weather was wonderful this weekend.  I enjoyed my southern facing porch workshop.  The greenhouse and a fish-pond are to my left.  My tools chests 30 feet away, directly in front of me.  A barrel of dirt next to my chair on my right.  A big sturdy workbench. A kitchen and sink handy.  A computer 50 or 60 feet away.

I'm somewhat distressed at my decision to put 40 seeds in each pot.  Going down to only 20 seeds would have doubled the area required, though.

Three quarters of my "Chalk Ridge cinerea x Extra" cross got moldy in the refrigerator.  Last year, the moldy seeds failed to germinate, so this was a sad discovery.  It seems my 'seed cleaning' efforts were not sufficient.  Next year, if the seeds are going in the refrigerator, they will get 'Houled'.

Open discussion: goals

I've been working up a list of 'breeding goals'.  Here is what is come to mind as 'North Texas October Grape Project goals':

1. Suitable for growing organically (as defined by one of several groups) here in North Texas
2. Avoids or tolerates late spring frosts
3. Ripens in October when refrigeration isn't necessary for creating a decent wine.
4. Makes a delightful and uniquely North Texas wine.  A vine that allows fruit to hang until a North Texas fall frost won't ripen many other places.  That makes it a 'uniquely North Texas' grape, and the wine it produces will be uniquely North Texas.

I was tempted to add 'likes high pH soils' and 'likes salty well water', but these issues can be addressed by grafting.

The organic goal may be a bit too hardcore, but it makes clear our interest in vines that stay healthy on their own here in North Texas.

Acres of trellis

Cliff wrote this excellent reason to put what we are doing out in public on the internet: "Maybe a wealthy sponsor will get interested and set up a hundred acres of trellis for me to plant with new seeds!"

Thanks Cliff!

Here is the full quote.  It comes from a 'GrapeBreeders' list discussion on the topic 'should this list be public'?

> Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:27:31 -0500
> From: cambers@sbc.edu
> To: grapebreeders
> Subject: [grapebreeders] is this list public?
>
> Hi All,
>
> I have always been under the impression that the list contents
> are public except for the last day. I think I ran across this in the
> Ibiblio documentation. I concur with Bill's comments below. I WANT
> my comments to be public because no one in the grape growing world
> will understand there are other ways of thinking about grapes beside
> vinifera if the conversations aren't public. The other beauty of
> Ibiblio in my opinion is that it is an attempt to put internet content
> and discussions posted to it "in stone" as much as is possible. This
> means every contribution you make to the list is actually a
> publication that records this instant in history. We have very sparse
> information about the history of the vine when you consider how long
> it has been cultivated. The history of the vine in America is even
> more sparse. This list is a record of how we are STILL trying to
> build an indigenous viticulture for North America - after 200-some
> years! So, if you don't want it recorded, don't put it on the list!
> Alternatively, if you have a point of view, posting your observations
> and inferences from your work gets it recorded.
>
> I often wonder when agriculture went from an open source
> community effort to a proprietary industry where information is held
> secret and reverberates on this list. I guess it was through the 20th
> century. I take my lead from the early American breeders and 20th
> century shamans of breeding like Zehnder, Dunstan and Swenson. These
> vines are for everyone and are a source of sweetness in times of pain
> and sorrow. Where do you get candy if the trucks stop running? Call
> it crazy thinking, but it is only a hiccup on Wall Street away. Vines
> like Catawba, Isabella, Herbemont and Norton were the candy before the
> supermarkets. We are breeding the candy plants that will survive
> after they close.
>
> Regards, Cliff
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> is this list public?
> Shoemaker, William H
> Mon Nov 19 09:36:23 EST 2012
>
> Perhaps I'm naive, but I'm not sure there is any great risk from our
> conversations being made public. There may be a few small ones, but
> I've been on this list for many years and I'm not aware of any serious
> consequences emerging from having these threads being made public. It
> sounds like, on the other hand, there are some on this list that found
> it because of its availability publicly. I know I was contacted by
> Julia Harding, an associate of Jancis Robinson, about some of the work
> going on in private grapebreeding in the upper Midwest. I believe they
> learned some of what they knew through public exposure to this list.
> There may be some upsides to public exposure, so long as there isn't
> any public indecency. But then, I'm used to having a public mission
> component to my work and believe society benefits enormously from such
> a mission component. Those of us who graduate to businesses based on
> work we develop on this list may need to be more careful, but I think
> that has already taken place, and becomes a personal discipline. Can't
> avoid that anyway.

Why grow an October grape?

Soon after mentioning the Texas October Grape project, I get a puzzled look and a question.  "Why do you want a grape that ripens in October?"   A friend asked this, yesterday and it is probably the 3rd or 4th time I've gotten it in as many weeks.I really need to write down a good answer.

The first thing that comes out of my mouth is, 'European grapes ripen in August here.  Can you imagine what the August heat does to the grape picker, not to mention the grapes?"

This is a personal perspective, though.  While a glass of wine is great after sweating off 10 pounds picking grapes in the afternoon summer sun, I wouldn't mind skipping future experiences.  I don't get the sense that I'm communicating the pain, though. What they want to know is 'why will an October harvest improve the wine!'

So, what matters is grape quality, and ease of getting the right kind of fermentation.  Grape quality is going to be better when the fruit ripens in 75 degree weather with 55 degree nights rather than 106 degree weather with 85 degree nights.   Additionally, unwanted fermentation in transporting bins is a lot easier to halt when the temps are moderate.  Transportation issues can be addressed with chemicals, dry ice, and/or refrigeration, but these options are expensive and problematic.

August harvests in Texas don't encourage community participation. For example,  'wine stomps' are popular harvest festivals.  There are 'wine stomps' held by wineries all over North Texas, but they don't happen in August. They happen in October, when it is cool. They strike me as faux-festivals.  The grapes come from distant places such as Lubbock, Missouri or California.

But, what I am really dreaming about is growing a vine with a special taste that both delights and says 'I'm from Texas'.  That vine can say 'I'm from Texas' because it won't ripen anywhere else.  There are very few places on earth that have the long Texas growing season and cold continental winter.  A North Texas October wine grape will require both.  Grow it somewhere else, and the fruit will never ripen.

Cinerea wine, age 1 week

John's got great news: "PV cinerea makes a slightly tannic wine with some tartness that might me corrected with cold stabilization and malolactic fermentation.  It is seemingly done fermenting and I'm waiting for gravity to clarify before I rack it off the yeast, cold stabilize etc.   For my money, already better than mustang wine.  In a few weeks I should have a bottle to show for the effort.  I should age it a bit."

2012 seed collection

I have been counting seeds this weekend.  It looks like we have about 3300 seeds here at the house.  While I'm eating Thanksgiving turkey, I'll be trying to figure out how to give them all a chance to grow.

Seed parent	Pollen parent	total seeds
06-38-1	Carnelian	180
06-90-5	Captain	50
Alphonse d'Serres	Traminette	2
Bridlegate Cinerea	op	400
Bridlegate Cinerea	champin/riparia	200
Bridlegate Cinerea	Carnelian	100
Bridlegate Cinerea	schuyler	100
Bridlegate Cinerea	villard blanc	75
E55-17 x Orange Muscat	Stover	68
E55-17 x Orange Muscat	Valvin Muscat	105
E55-17 x Orange Muscat	traminette	200
E55-17 x Orange Muscat	viogner	50
FM 875 Cinerea	Tannat	69
FM 875 Cinerea	Syrah	16
FM 875 Cinerea	Mustang	25
Lincecumi Linny	Tannat	44
Lincecumi Linny	Mourvedre	106
Merlot	schuyler	45
Doaniana Montague	French mystery vine	90
Doaniana Montague	marquette	140
Doaniana Montague	Stover	68
Doaniana Montague	Lomanto	124
Doaniana Montague	Valvin Muscat	116
Doaniana Montague	Tannat	44
Doaniana Montague	Viognier	50
Doaniana Montague	Nero d'alva	48
Doaniana Montague	Merlot	42
Doaniana Montague	Schyler	42
Doaniana Montague	dornfelder	50
Plainview Cinerea	Tannat	81
Plainview Cinerea	Mournvedre	90
Plainview Cinerea	Cab Sauv	140
Plainview Cinerea	Syrah	63
Plainview Cinerea	Mustang	11
stover	valvin muscat	20
valvin muscat	stover	24
valvin muscat	viognier	16
viognier	valvin muscat	20
viognier	schuyler	35
viognier	valvin muscat	20
z89-9-3	Merlot	18
z89-9-3	Mourvedre	34
z89-9-3	Cabernet sauvignon	50

4 lbs of Plainview big leaf cinerea

John says:
"This should be a enough for a bottle of wine.  We left one bagged cluster and those we couldn't reach...Brandon and I are going to try to make a full bottle of wine."

This will be batch #2.  Batch #1 was a small scale experiment with 1 cinerea cluster that went better than we expected. After a week of fermenting on the skins and stems, John hand pressed the mash with a bag. 

7.88 oz of grapes with stems:

4.36 oz must              55.3% yield
2.49 oz seeds/skin    31.7 %
1.00 oz stems.          13%


We were concerned with the amount of free juice that could be squeezed from the berries when we test for Brix.  I didn't think there was much we could do with the berries, but John crushed them.  He stored them in a plastic juice jug and after a week, presto, it was almost all juice:

Based on these results, 100lbs of Plainview Big Leaf Cinerea (PBLC) with stems would yield 55.3lbs of must.  At 8.34lbs per gallon (s.g. of water) this is 6.63 gallons.  Assuming 20% loss during racking, 5.3 gallons of wine or 26 bottles.  Thus, we need about 4 lbs to make a enough juice to ferment in a bottle.


.

A November harvest

Visited John to taste some wild grapes picked Saturday, November 4th.

Here is a photo of the two varieties.  On the left is 'Plainview big leaf cinerea'.  On the right is 'Plainview cordifolia'.

Here are my notes:

1. Plainview Cordifolia: Taste reminds me immediately of vegetables.  Yellow bell pepper comes to mind after putting 4 berries in my mouth at once and getting a fair sample of juice.  Ugh!  Not much acid.  John says it had more bite before it was frozen, Saturday.  Juice has a dark red color.  Brix was 28.  Large berries measured between .33 and .38 inches in diameter.

2. Plainview Big Leaf Cinerea: Taste reminded me of Bridlegate cinerea. Blackberry! Fruity!  More acid than the cordifolia.  John says is had more punch on Saturday.    Brix was 24.  Berries were .4 inches (1 cm) in diameter.  Dark red juice.

I could not taste any relationship between the two grapes despite their proximity to each other (about 20'). 

Plainview cordifolia

John Barnett writes:

This is Cordifolia just 20 feet down the fence from "Plainview".  Both are holding fruit on November 4,  2012.  Note the heart shaped leaf, smooth cane and lack of bloom.  Yes, the cordifolia is sweet and palatable. Tastes sort of like a sweet picked salad pepper.  Not bad.

The frosted look on some grapes is called bloom.  Bloom is the powdery, waxy substance that is often found on the surface of grapes. While this substance may contain the spores of wild yeast, it is not necessary composed of yeast cells. As you can see below, there isn't much bloom.  

Update on Plainview Big Leaf Cinerea

From John Barnett:

A full load of "blackberry" flavored grapes on November 4, 2012.

And, the berries are about 1 centimeter:

Late hanging mustang 10-20-12

John found this near the Trinity river. He thinks these late hanging mustangs are fairly common.

John reports:
"Plenty juicy but past prime for sure.

When mustang grapes are crushed they literally have a musty smell. Within two days they smell intensely fruity and as the pulp breaks down, they release a lot of juice. I think dry grapes are just pulpy and need to break down in fermentation."

FM 875 clusters 9-22-12

2012 October Grape Plan 1a

This is the current status of our plan. We've tried to start with the end in mind: an October ripening wine grape for North Texas. That seems a fine goal, but a bit distant and unreal. For now, a practical goal might be merely a set of crosses (most likely cinerea x vinifera) that ripen in October, produce measurable amounts of juice and allow a reasonable body of evidence that we are on the road to a North-Texas October wine grape.

Rich had a 2nd leaf Bridlegate cinerea cross put out berries this year. The berries ripened in early-August. On August 18th, Rich wrote, "I got 6 Bridlegate X Mourvedre berries, with one seed/berry. The raisins tasted good, but not enough juice to get a Brix reading." On July 25th, I was able to taste one of the berries. It had much more juice than a cinerea, and the taste was remarkably neutral, especially when compared with the Munson varieties that were ripening at about the same time. This represents limited, but concrete evidence that we can delay vinifera ripening dates by using cinerea crosses, and still maintain a neutral taste.

Of course, our 1st cross to produce berries was far from an October ripening berry. Its ripening date fell into approximately the same time frame as many Munson crosses. Thus, we have no evidence that we can push the ripening dates to October. For the below forecast, I've assumed that 5% of the crosses will have cinerea like ripening dates. 95% will have ripening dates that more closely approach the vinifera ripening date. Still, with about 500 cinerea x vinifera crosses it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect 25 with early October ripening dates.

I've picked a 2017 milestone of 25 'October ripening crosses' as a key decision point. By the time we have 25, we should be able to assess the likelihood that at least one of these crosses has a future as a wine grape. 2017 may seem a long way off, but this is a very slow process. Consider today's request for cuttings. If the cuttings take, we may get an opportunity to create crosses in 2015. The seeds produced cannot be expected to provide berries for evaluation in 2018, a year after my 2017 decision point. Obviously, 2017 is at best a preliminary review date. The project only succeeds if we can enroll others to keep the goal alive.

The forecast was created by reviewing the short history of our efforts. The first cross was done in 2010. In 2011, we planted the first seedlings. In 2012, we had many seedlings over waist high, and one 2nd leaf seedling produces a small, sweet, neutral tasting berry.

2012 National Plant Germplasm System request.

After some discussion with Rich, I've submitted my 2012 National Plant Germplasm System request.

Here is the list:
DVIT 2963 - Vitis cinerea var. cinerea - 5489 - Texas, U
PI 588210 - Vitis cinerea var. helleri - B 65-7 - Texas,
PI 588216 - Vitis cinerea var. helleri - Resseguier 2 - Texas,
PI 101865 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Honigber - Morocco
DVIT 360 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Black Morocco
PI 63409 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - DVIT 2044 - Algeria
DVIT 2426 - Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris - DVIT 2426 - Tunisia
PI 98190 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Olivette Blanche - Tunisia
DVIT 463 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Muscat Bowood - Egypt
PI 171177 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Itonychi Mavro - Greece
PI 171292 - Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera - Bakari Mavro - Greece

The request has some thought provoking questions, so I thought it might be useful to post my answers here. First, the NPGS requires agreement to the following statement:  "The accessions within the NPGS are available in small quantities for research and education purposes only."

OK, I don't see a conflict, but what 'research or education' do I see following this?

I really haven't given 'education' much thought. Perhaps we need to invite high school kids over to see what we are doing. Preparing an afternoon program for high school students would certainly be a worth while project. Additionally, I can easily imagine having an educational day on 'organic' grape growing. Of course, this would require some working definition of 'organic growing practices', but anything is possible. As for research, that is easily satisfied by posting the ripening dates of new crosses here.

Continuing with the process, the NPGS request form asks: "Describe your planned research use of this NPGS Germplasm: (Information on your results is expected to be provided at the conclusion of your research).

To this, I answered: "We are creating cinerea, vinifera crosses.  Conventional wine grapes grown in North/Central Texas ripen in August. We hope these crosses will ripen in October. We are posting updates on our research at http://texasoctobergrapes.blogspot.com/."

After three weeks of harvesting tobacco horned worms, the caterpillars are gone. Looks like I have a lot of powdery mildew, and some black rot. Even the mustangs are covered with it (whatever it is). I need to get out with a microscope and take some photos. Keeping vines healthy from March until October may be a challenge There is lots of time for fungus to take hold. Couderic 1202 (Mourvedre x V. rupestris 'Martin') x op is noticeable more new growth (last 2 weeks) than anything else.

Wild Mother Vines: We are using 6 cinerea females. 2 or 3 probably have cordifolia in their background. 2 ripen around Nov 1, the rest around October 1st. Several have excellent taste. None produce much juice. They are not too hard to find, but you need to be local to catch them ripening and get a date. There is a vine that is about 40 minutes away that I watch. I've seen it set fruit for 3 years, but never been able to catch it with ripe fruit. We have had very good luck rooting cuttings this year. Several wild seedlings should produce flowers next year. With luck we will get some females.

Seed day

Today was my third annual 'seed day'. On seed day, spend the early morning with Rich and collect the seeds I'll germinate this winter. I always bring the seeds into the office and tell anyone who will listen what fun it is to breed grapes. I'm always in a great mood. It's a great day.

Rich, standing in his seedling nursery among peppers, eggplants.  His vineyard is in the background. Future October grapes in the foreground.

Wondering about Lenoir's pedigree

I'm thinking about Lenoir's pedigree because I've tasted 3 wild cinerea in the past few days. They reminded me of Lenoir. Additionally, I've got a cross from Cliff Ambers that seemed a lot like Lenoir. I need to understand Lenoir better, especially if cinerea a big part in Lenoir's pedigree. Here is what Cliff Ambers had to say about the Lenoir pedigree:

"Jancis Robinson pegs it as aestivalis X vinifera, which I largely agree with except that Georgia aestivalis is as mixed up as it is anywhere. Out on the Piedmont where the bourquiniana came from, the aestis are Munson's southern type which are interbred with the cinerea var. floridana that runs up and down the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. So, I would give it as: aestivalis (with some cinerea in its pedigree) X vinifera I have produced many bourquiniana types like Lenoir and Herbemont from aestivalis X vinifera and aestivalis X labruscana crosses. More are like Herbemont in color because the Blue Ridge/Ohio aestis I tend to use are not mixed with cinerea. Aaron Puhala's Buxton, NC, aestivalis seedlings are southern aestivalis type and should give dark skinned seedlings. I'll let you know in a couple years as I made lots of crosses with them in 2011 that I planted this year. Two were crosses back to cinerea and those seedlings are still in perfect condition and look more like cinerea than aestivalis (although you can still make out the waxy leaf undersides). I've also grown VA Coastal Plain cinerea seed and found aestivalis hybrids in the seedlings. The wild grapes are not pure, unmixed species, but constantly intermingling and producing options for evolutionary favor. They tend to separate because of bloom times, but there are plenty of opportunities out there for cross pollination.

Rich's Bridlegate and John Barnett's FM 875 were both about 26 brix and maybe a bit over ripe. Bridlegate berries were less than .3", but FM 875 were about .4". That's a big difference. Bridlegate was very neutral, but FM 875 had a slight herbaceous under-tone. If I thought about it, I could imagine bananas, but it took a while. Not particularly attractive, but we did eat a bunch of them. The Plainview cinerea was still very tart (brix was only 20), and probably 3 weeks from being ripe. Anyway, we are already tasting Texas grapes in October. With luck, we will be improving the October selection in the coming years.

Picking up John's cinerea seeds

I met John Barnett and his son Brandon to pick-up cinerea x vinifera seeds for myself and Rich Ellison. In the below picture, you can see the bags of seeds. We also tasted the Plainview and FM 875 cinerea. 26 brix on the FM 875 cinerea, with a nice fruity taste, with a banana hint, that pleasantly lingered on the palate. FM 875 has a lot more juice than Plainview. I had to squeeze about 10 berries to be able to get a brix reading (around 20). Both sets of berreies were picked on 10/3/12. Plainview wasn't really ripe, yet.

2012 seedling list

2012 seedling list in Glen Rose: (click to enlarge)

2012 seedling list in Fairview (click to enlarge)

This is what some of them looked like 9/3/12.