Introduction

Kathy and I live on a 3+ acre plot of land in east central Iowa, near Iowa City.  We've lived in this location since 1994.  We have some open prairie land; some timber; a small orchard with apples, cherries (sweet and sour), and peaches; a large garden; a small (currently 2 hives) apiary;  and a small vineyard of about 35-40 vines.

Looking out back toward the garden and vineyard beyond

We grew Concord grapes for many years, and have always made terrific grape juice that clearly rivals Welch's, using a steamer juicer.  In about 2006, I decided to try to  improve my wine-making abilities, having tried making some Concord wine, with little success.  We decided to expand the vineyard, planting some more concords but also some wine grapes.  We bought some aurore, traminette, De Chaunac, Niagara, Moore's Diamond, and chardonel vines.  I also built a large pergola, about 40 feet long and ten feet wide, on which to grow some grapes. The traminette and chardonel did not produce, and were removed from the vineyard.  In their place, we have planted Nortons from Missouri, realizing we are probably on the
northern edge of their territory.  We did get a few grapes last year, their 3rd year, and will have to see how they do.  We also have planted several seedless varietals which are table grapes, such as reliant seedless and a seedless concord.
In this blog, I will try to keep a record of our year with grapes, from pruning to harvest to wine/juice making.  I plan to essentially keep a diary/log of our experiences, everything from spraying to canopy management.  I hope to use this for myself as a way to improve our work with the grapes as well as what we do with our harvest.  Any comments, well-intended suggestions or questions are always welcome.