Kendall Cavanaugh Dominique Des Lauriers Lindsay Frey Kayla Reichert Trevor Whitaker Layout and Spacing of a Vineyard When the appropriate site is picked for a vineyard, the design becomes an important factor that will affect the performance of the vineyard for its lifetime. Considerations include row spacing, vine spacing, row orientation, and row height. We explain the crucial details within the layout of a vineyard, types of harvest within a layout, a comparison of United State’s layouts and Spain’s vineyards, and specific details for our hypothetical vineyard. Row Spacing And Vine Spacing Traditional row spacing in a vineyard is 9­12 feet depending on the type and size of the equipment that is going to be used in the vineyard. 12 feet will easily allow a pickup truck in between rows. 6­8 feet is the minimum distance that an ATV can traverse rows. Machine harvested vineyards are recommended to have rows spaced no closer than 10 feet. Rows spaced together any less than 6 feet forces the farmer to do everything, such as fertilizing, spraying and weeding, by hand. This can be not only time consuming but expensive. (Hagen). In America, vines 12 feet apart is the standard row. Row spacing also affects the way the light hits the leaves on the vine. The further apart the rows are, the more sunlight hit more leaves. Rows spaced close together will create a shadow on one another for part of the day. The closer the rows are to each other, the more vines a farmer can fit on an acre. It is a delicate balance of the quantity of vines versus adequate sunlight. (Gee). Vines are typically spaced 6­8 feet apart within the row depending on the vigor of the vine. If vigorous vines are spaced too close together they will quickly entangle and become overgrown. This will create too many leaves and the vine will be essentially wasting energy on leaves instead of fruit because the covered leaves will not get any sunlight. Vigerous vines spaced at the proper distance will create a full canopy which will not only utilize the space given, but maximize sunlight absorption for each vine. Vines spaced too close together may also create a “flower pot” effect on the roots. This means that the roots are confined to a space rather than have the ability to spread out their their full potential in search

of water and nutrients. This forces the vines to compete with each other which may not be beneficial to the health of the vine. (Gee). Row Orientation Sun exposure on the fruit is key to getting good flavor out of your grapes, so planting a vineyard among shade trees or in the shadow of a canyon is not advisable. The rows should be planted in the direction of north and south for the vines to receive an even distribution of sunlight. Research studies have shown that rows oriented in a north­south direction receive more sunlight, have better air movement among vines, and produce slightly higher yields than those oriented east to west. (Stafne). Row height of the vines can also help determine the overall sunlight a canopy can intercept. Consider that taller canopies may be able to intercept more sunlight, but they can also shade neighboring rows when the sun is at an angle to the rows. As the sun crosses the sky, it shines on both the east and west sides of the canopy sides of the grapevines when planted north and south orientation. Usually, the site itself will often dictate in which direction rows can be aligned. For example, if a site allows for either numerous, short north/south­oriented rows or longer east/west rows, one should opt for the latter. In the '70s and '80s, vineyards were planted with an east­west row orientation. Research and experience tell us that there is almost no good reason to plant E­W unless the topography dictates it. Rows planted east and west tend to have uneven ripening or quality issues in regions with cool climates, especially the Northeastern US. (Gee). Above all, however, one must consider the practicality of row orientation and length within the confines of a particular location, especially while considering the necessity of headlands and turning space for vineyard tractors, harvesters, and other equipment. Comparison of U.S. Vineyards to Spain Although the United States and Spain have similar climates they are not exactly the same and this leads to a few differences when it comes to the way vineyards are set up in each area. In spain the soil is very dry and does not have an issue with weeds. Because of this the vines can be grown on short stocks and be very close to the ground to absorb some of the heat that comes off of the ground . In the US there is an issue with mildew spores that can get onto the leaves and cause disease in the vine. To prevent this from happening the vines are grown on a taller stock to keep it farther from the ground and

out of reach from the spores (winegrowers). Soil has a lot to with vine spacing as well, since spain has dryer and weaker soil it is very important to set up the vineyard with tighter and closer together vines to increase vine density. By doing this it increase the vine competition and vine vigor (Hagen). For soils that aren’t as dry and are much stronger like the soils in the US it is more common to have a more spread out spacing since the soil is more nutrient rich and they vines do not have to be as clustered to get the nutrients and water that they need (Greenspan). A study in California showed that when a vineyard was planted more tightly spaced and more dense it had a lower yield in cluster quality. There were also decreases in canopy and shoot weight, the conclusion was that the competition for water and nutrients in the early berry stages affected the outcome of the final fruit product (Arnold). Harvest within a Layout

The layout in which a vineyard is planted can have a large impact on harvest. For

example, a vineyard that is located on a sloped, hillside vineyard can be difficult when using tractors due to the risk of them tipping over depending on the steepness of the slope. In cases where the land is extremely steep, the best method to go about for harvest may be handpicking the grapes. Although machine harvesting grapes is faster and more efficient, a winery needs to consider what is best for the crew and vineyard. There is also difficulty using tractors if the vine’s rows and spacing between the vines are too close together, which is why it is suggested that for best results to leave at least ten feet between machine harvested rows. Typically the standard layout for a vineyard in the US is twelve feet, giving the ideal amount of space for tractors, harvesters, and other equipment to move through the grapevines. (Gee). Another important factor to keep in mind is how long the rows on your vineyard are going to

be. Although long rows are a good way to utilize your land, it is important not to make them too long. Rows need to have breaks in between them to allow machinery to maneuver in and out of the vines. (Gee). Ensuring the safety of oneself is important before operating any type of machinery. For this

reason, it is important that regardless of what type of layout the vineyard is on, or who is going to be driving the tractor to harvest the vineyard needs to be inspected, to ensure the grounds are spaced out

far enough to operate on. Some vineyards are placed on very steep hills, which is why it is so important that workers understand how to properly drive the tractor through hillside vineyards. In addition, it is important that vineyard crews wear the proper equipment and have enough light when harvesting at night. (Mechanical Grape Harvest Safety). Specifics to our Hypothetical Vineyard If we wish to create a winery that will generate five thousand cases with a $20­25 dollar price point we need to first determine how many vines we will need and the effects on the quality of wine based on our spacing. To start, a trial conducted by Robert Mondavi Inc. in the Napa Valley tested the effects of planting cabernet at three different spacing increments. The sets of vines were spaced 3.1 by 3.1 feet apart, 3.1 by 3.6 feet apart the moderate spacing and finally the wide spacing of five feet by nine. The quality and quantity yield of three different practical vine spacing arrangements proved inconclusive as to even having moderate differences. Because of this we can choose how to space our vines based on other factors such as what's beneficial economically or historically because spacing will not change the quality. Assuming on average one ton of grapes’ produces two barrels of wine, which is roughly 50 cases (Spectator); we will need 100 tons of grapes to reach our goal number of cases. A vineyard with a twenty­dollar plus price point probably produces four to five tons per acre, requiring our winery to require 20 acres of parcel. Suppose we yield 15 pounds per vine, we will be planting roughly 670 vines per acre (WineSpectator). With a small number of vines per acre, we have many advantages in terms of using equipment. Because we will have such large spacing in our vineyard it will also make harvesting and general vine maintenance much easier. Some advantages to using mechanical means of harvesting are obviously the efficiency benefits. Being able to run 24 hours a day, a mechanical harvester can pick 80 to 200 tons of grapes in an eight­hour day. The average hand picker boasts its own impressive two tons. Machines do have drawbacks; they can easily break and hurt the skin of grapes as well as the vines too, also sometimes picking unripe grapes and materials other than grapes. Hand picking ensures grapes are taken at the right time and are not damages in collection (MacNeil).

 Works Cited Arnold, Richard. "Evaluation of Cabernet Sauvignon." Evaluation of Cabernet Sauvignon. Practical Winery & Vineyard Journal, 20 June 1999. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. Gee, Jodi, Dr. "Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Enrollment." LERGP.Year of Planting.

Cornell University, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. Greenspan, Mark “Vine Spacing: Is the Trend Toward High­Density Planting Going to End?” Wine Business Monthly, December 2009. Web 20 Sept. 2014 Hagen, Wes. "Plan Your First Vineyard." Plan Your First Vineyard. Wine Maker Magazine, 6 Feb. 2002. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible. New York: Workman Pub., 2001. Print. "Mechanical Grape Harvest Safety."Mechanical Grape Harvest Safety (n.d.): n. pag. The Zenith Agribusiness Solutions.Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

"Wine Spectator Home | Wine Spectator." Wine Spectator Home | Wine Spectator. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. Stafne, Eric. "Vineyard Design ­ EXtension." Vineyard Design ­ EXtension. Extensive, 21 July 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.