What goes into picking a successful vineyard site?
We spent about two years driving around northern Michigan looking at hills and slopes and thinking about sunlight and air flow before we found our home farm in Charlevoix. The first time we walked the farm, the three ridges that softly slope southwest with slivers of Lake Michigan visible just 4 miles away we cheered out loud!
Vineyard work at our home farm in Charlevoix.
That’s because site selection plays a huge role in the success of a vineyard. There are a lot of things to consider when picking a vineyard site, but these are the BIG THREE when it comes to the science and art of grape growing:
Slope
Soil
Sunlight
Have you ever wondered why so many vineyards are planted on hillsides and slopes? The slope and elevation of the site play a huge role in draining both water and cool air away from the vines.
Especially in northern Michigan, where it’s cold, we often experience a late frost and have a short growing season, the ability for cool air to drain off the vineyard is key. A natural slope allows the cool air to move down and warm air to rise. Nature had it figured out long before we did. Sites that are flat or have divots can hang on to cool air exposing the vines to dangerous temps for longer.
Slope also plays an important role in draining water off the vineyard. Vines don’t like wet feet. In fact, making them work a little harder to find water can make the vine stronger and potentially have positive effects on the quality of fruit. On a trip to Montalcino, Tuscany a sommelier told us “if there was a PETA for grapevines, we’d be in trouble,” referring to the idea that stress and lack of water positively impacts the quality of the fruit.
A vineyard’s soil type also has a big impact on water drainage – sandy and loamy soils prevalent in northern Michigan drain well but don’t always hang on to the nutrients the vine needs to thrive. Other considerations when it comes to soil are acidity, nutrient exchange, and what’s down below the surface; a vine’s roots can go 15, 30 or more feet down so understating the deeper structure of the soil can be very valuable.
The different soil types and their health are vast and complicated topics we’re only touching on briefly in this post. For a deep dive on the relationship between soil and wine, Alice Feiring and Pascaline Lepeltier’s The Dirty Guide to Wine is a great read.
Touring a vineyard in Sandomierz, Poland.
And finally there’s sunlight which is critical to converting carbon and water into sugar through the process of photosynthesis. Southern facing slopes are favorable so the last and warmest of the day’s sun hits the vines, extending daylight hours. Sunlight is also important in the morning to burn off dew or frost.
You can see that through site selection, what we’re really doing is aiding the vines in the process of creating sugar, or ripening, by providing them with a balance of water, nutrients, and sunlight.
Does a perfect vineyard site exist? Maybe! But in reality, all sites have their unique characteristics and limitations, and we haven’t even touched on the cost and accessibility of farmable land. At our home farm, we were delighted to find 3-12% degree southwest-facing slopes with primarily Emmet-Onaway sandy loam, with pretty healthy levels of organic matter. A great place to start!
Our work of observing, digging holes and planning out plantings continues as we figure out how to best work with the slopes and sunlight, planting cold hardy hybrids in lower-lying areas and reserving the hilltops with the most sun for more cold sensitive varietals. While we can't wait to get more vines in the ground, we're pacing ourselves and taking time to get to know the site first.
