Books for Grapes & Grape Breeding

Putting together a 'books' page has raised some unique issues. Within the grape culture community, some important figures endeavor to spread grape knowledge, and earn essential income, by selling books. At the same time, there are vast resources available online, freely. Good books can arguably deliver some values better than common electronic materials. The digital resources, though, undoubtedly cover the full spectrum, from consumer-lite to professional research - something no book can hope to do.

Commercial books introduce the complication of advertising, intentional or otherwise, or of promoting one book (and its author) and slighting another. Websites have found this rough terrain to traverse. I will keep a close eye on it.

'Books', therefore, will be a compromised, hybridized compilation ... probably with F1 features. I will list here the two grape books I purchased, and some other well-recommended current titles. Then, I will progressively add online electronic books. There are quite a few, and they are growing in number and quality. These are books, converted to electronic form.

Those who have a title for sale and would like to see it listed here should maintain an online informational and purchasing system of their own for the book. It is better for our role, that we do not become an Amazon-associate.

"The Grape Grower"
~A Guide to Organic Viticulture~
by Lon Rombough

This is one of two grape books I bought. Lon covers the basics well, but then he builds the framework for those who wish to have many different varieties, to experiment, and to breed grapes themselves. His book closely reflects my interests, and it is excellent. His vineyard is in the Pacific Northwest, as am I.

Contents
1. Structure of the Vine
2. Getting Started: Site, Soil, and Planting
3. Pruning and Training
4. Growing Grapes Organically
5. Diseases of Grapes
6. Insects of Grapes
7. Animal and Bird Pests
8. Propagation
9. Rootstocks
10. Varieties
11. Grape Species
12. Grapes in Cold Climates and the Tropics
13. Breeding Grapes
Glossary
Resources

"Northern Winework"
~Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates~
by Tom Plocher and Bob Parke

This is one of two grapes books I bought. I have an interest in northern and far northern grape growing and breeding challenges. The book is about half wine making, and though I was not motivated to buy a wine book, these chapters are engaging and rewarding.

Contents
1. Cold Climate Grapes and Wines: People and Places
2. The Vine and Winter Cold
3. Grape Varieties
4. Fostering Vine Winter Survival
5. Sites for Northern Vineyards
6. Training
7. The Ripening Grape: Veraison to Harvest
8. Getting Started
9. Staying on the Path of Established Winemaking Practice
10. 13 Keys to Winemaking Success
11. Winemaking Styles
12. Indications of Problems: What Can Go Wrong?
13. Aging
14. Tasting and Evaluation Skills
15. Fine-Tuning and Balancing
16. Blending
17. Making a Good Impression: Appearance, Bottling, and Labeling
Recommended Grape Varieties
Resources

[Metadata]
"Growing grapes in Florida" 1959
by Charles Demko
Old Dominion University, Florida

"The first attempt to grow grapes in Florida was made over 300 years ago by the early Spanish, French and English settlers. Intending to develop a wine industry, they had brought with them many European varieties from their respectives lands. The Central, Northern and Northwestern areas of Florida are well adapted to the culture of grapes. Central Florida is most suitable for growing the early varieties of table grapes, and Northern and Northwestern Florida, the later ripening grapes. This publication describes the process for grape culture in Florida."

This is a 28 page booklet offered for download as 18 PDF files, or as the corresponding JPG images. The PDF files total about 20 megabytes, taking about 2 hours on a standard dialup connection. The work reflects 1950s technology and values, some of which no longer pertain, or are ... in review. The important challenges and opportunities remain much the same, though, and this appears to be a valuable resource to Florida and Deep South grape growers.

Contents
Front Matter
Background
Location of the Vineyards
Preparation of the Soil
Planting the Vineyard
Cultivation
Fertilizers
Disease and Insect Control
Resistant Rootstocks
Grafting
Budding
Principles of Pruning
Muscadines
Pollination
Spraying
Harvesting
Marketing
Varieties

Book Description
"Micro Vinification"
A practical guide to small scale wine production
by Murli R. Dharmadhikari and Karl L. Wilker
Southwest Missouri State University-Mountain Grove

145 pages, print only

Web-page review
"Making Wine for Home Use"
Download PDF - 6,900Kb
by Wilker, K. L., T. S. Harris, M. B. Odneal and M. R. Dharmadhikari
Southwest Missouri State University-Mountain Grove MS-28

42 pages, print or PDF