Cultivating the Vines

Dr. Nelson Shaulis, a professor of viticulture at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, made revolutionary contributions to vineyard practices. Regarded as the “Father of Canopy Management,” Dr. Shaulis developed the Geneva Double Curtain technique, which trains the vine wood and vegetation over wires, supported by cross arms four feet apart and five or six feet above the ground. This trellising system allowed for maximum photosynthesis, improving the rates of vine maturation and grape yield.

Dr. Shaulis also developed a mechanical harvester to work in conjunction with his Geneva Double Curtain trellis technique. As this photograph shows, the harvester rides above the curtains while arms attack the vines with a beating and stripping motion, causing grapes to fall onto the catcher on the bottom of the harvester. The development of the harvester saved labor at harvest time, reducing costs.

Phylloxera vastatrix, as depicted in all stages of development, was responsible for attacking the roots of the European Vitis vinifera, decimating European and later California vineyards. Once it was determined that Phylloxera was to blame, viticulturists began using Phylloxera resistant rootstocks to develop hardier plants and vineyards.

Thomas Munson, a horticulturist from Dennison, Texas, is credited with the original idea to graft European Vinifera vines onto native American rootstocks. This grafting technique attempted to preserve the qualities of the Vinifera, while adding the benefits of greater disease resistance seen in native rootstocks. This illustrated guide shows techniques for grafting grapevines to rootstocks.

When American rootstocks were sent to Europe in the 1860s, Downy mildew, a fungal disease common in American grapevines, traveled with them. This fungal disease, in combination with the Phylloxera pest, triggered several decades of crisis for European vineyards. To combat the disease, a liquid fungicide, Bordeaux Mixture, was sprayed onto the leaves of the grapes. Downy mildew remains a problem to this day, wherever grapes are grown in warm, moist conditions.

This chart traces the movement and development of the mildew spores through the seasons, as they attack grape vines and leaves.

The hydrometer is a calibrated flotation device that, when placed in a grape juice mixture, measures its specific gravity. Specific gravity, or SG, indicates how much sugar is in the liquid, thus determining the optimum harvest time for the best yield. The hydrometer is one of the most commonly used devices in wineries around the world.

On loan from the Frank A. Lee Library, Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N.Y.