The stumbling blocks for hobby winemakers

The search for information was difficult. There's some information about viticulture online, but tailored information about hobby viticulture was difficult to find. What do I mean by this? As a hobby winemaker, I can't take two to three years of classes to become a winemaker. The information provided in those vocational programs is very useful for professionals, but it's also very complex. The information you find online is usually written by instructors or students of those extensive programs, so after reading a single page, you can see everything unfolding before your eyes. Don't get me wrong, those programs are essential and very valuable for anyone who wants to market wine, which is a food product after all. Professional winemakers also invest a lot of resources in their businesses, so it would be irresponsible not to take the training and just do something based on instinct.

With my information, I want to make professional winemaking knowledge easily digestible. From pruning and choosing shoots, to the different phases of the vine throughout the year, defoliation, protecting your vines from disease, harvesting, crushing, pressing, pre-clarification, fermentation, maturing, stabilizing, bottling, and drinking :) The latter probably doesn't require much writing. However, being able to taste wine accurately is a major asset. Especially if you can connect the dots during your tasting with, for example, the ripeness of your grapes or their contact with oxygen during winemaking.

My information will be published gradually. I'm trying to make this website as complete as possible by the end of 2021.

Not that amateur winemakers can't buy viticultural or winemaking supplies, but I recently searched for 2mm galvanized wire at a professional winery. I had to buy rolls in 25-kilo increments, which, in the case of the 2mm diameter, amounted to 1 kilometer of wire. Considering that you need approximately 8 meters per vine, I'd need to plant 125 vines right away, which is a lot for me. That's why many amateur winemakers join winemaking associations to make group purchases. I'm also a member of WOW Wijnbouwers Oost-West (Winemakers East-West). That's how I was able to buy a roll of netting last year to keep wasps off my grapes.

For those who are not members of an association or who need something outside of group purchases, I am gradually adding wine-growing and winemaking equipment to my online store.

I go to a store (online or in-store) that sells winemaking supplies a few times a year. The store combines winemaking with beer making, baking bread and pastries, preserving fruits and vegetables, and more. It's a shame I can't find any planting stakes or tying tubing there. I have to shop elsewhere for those.

Personally, I find the biggest stumbling block is that, as amateur winemakers, we don't have access to crop protection products against the biggest threats: powdery mildew , downy mildew , and gray mold ( Botrytis cinerea ). As a result, we often have to rely on resistant varieties, hybrids, Piwi, etc. I'll come back to this later in the chapter "Choosing Vine Purchases."

It's logical that certain pesticides require a license and training before use. There are some dangerous substances among them. But the space for amateur winegrowers is very limited. Together with an expert in the field, I searched for a formula that can be used without a license, training, or exams. This involves a strict spraying schedule, a strategy that takes into account factors such as the growth stage and the weather conditions in your vineyard. I'll share this with you in another chapter.

This introduction has taken a bit longer than expected, but I'm now moving on to the start of the great adventure: "Planting a Vineyard." I could get very theoretical here and throw around Latin names, but I deliberately want to keep it simple. Once you get started, you can still buy thick books and research everything about viticulture.