Considerations on grape cultivation in Hida ①-2021
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It has been two years since I decided to make wine. Since I started selling cider in July 2020, I have been receiving many inquiries from people, so I thought I would write about grape cultivation in Hida. Please read it only if you have time.
*These are my personal views as of April 2021 and may change in the future. I am cultivating my crops based on these ideas.
-The history of Hida wine-
The history of Hida wine is only recorded, and is thought to have started quite recently with the "Yamabudo Subcommittee" (later the "Hida Yamabudo Research Association") in 1987. (Some people say that alcoholic beverages made from wild grapes and Labrasca grapes are not wine, but since the history of Japanese wine is the history of grapes for eating, we will consider these to be wine as well.)
However, at the individual farm level, wine was being made at the same time as table grape cultivation began. In fact, I have heard that in the 1970s, people were making their own drinking wine using Muscat Bailey A and White Early (Sabel 9110).
Around 1970, a table grape association was established, and at its peak, there were more than a dozen member companies in Kokufu Town alone. They absorbed techniques from advanced grape growing areas, and had the skills to set up trellises by themselves. It seemed that the Hida grape industry would continue to develop, but then heavy snowfall hit Hida.
December 1980 - March 1981 The 56th Heavy Snowfall (Showa 56th Heavy Snowfall)
December 2005 - February 2006 Heavy Snowfall (Heisei 18 Heavy Snowfall) → Damage Report
Every time the snow destroys the trellises, the number of grape growers continues to decrease, and now only a few remain, including our farm. In recent years, the amount of snowfall on average has been decreasing due to global warming, but it is predicted that the amount of snow will increase during heavy snowfall.
-What determines the taste of grapes?
The most important thing in grape cultivation is canopy management (tree management). This refers to the overall cultivation management technique that aims to "control the microclimate through appropriate arrangement of new shoots and obtain healthy, good quality fruit." Training methods are one of the techniques of canopy management. However, even if canopy management is carried out in the same way, there will be big differences in taste depending on the field. Before we get into the discussion of training methods such as hedge cultivation and trellis cultivation, let's first consider what factors determine the taste of grapes.
First of all, let's assume that conditions that would impede grape growth, such as too much heat, too much rain, constant shade, over-ripening, etc., are excluded. During the 2020 season, I continued to eat grapes at the winery where I was training, and the conclusions I came to are as follows.
Climate (accumulated temperature, night temperature) > soil moisture (precipitation, drainage) > soil microbial activity (improvement of physical properties, trace element status) > training (hedges, trellises)
It is believed that different types of soil have different physical and chemical properties that affect the amount of moisture in the soil and the microbial activity of the soil.
Also, depending on the type of rootstock, there will be differences in the flowering and harvesting periods, but this is due to differences in the vigor of the tree and its ability to absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil (or, conversely, differences in sensitivity to the soil), which, like the type of soil, is thought to affect the amount of moisture in the soil and the microbial activity of the soil.
First of all, the climate. The growth stage of the fruit can be explained almost entirely by the accumulated temperature. It is important to select grape varieties that match the climate zone of the land. Varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are early-ripening varieties. By slowly growing such early-ripening varieties in cold soil, the aim is to accumulate aroma precursors (substances that give off aromas after fermentation), resulting in high-quality wine. Hida's farmland is distributed at altitudes of 400m to 1000m, and is in the climate zone I to III. These climates are suitable for planting high-quality varieties of wine grapes, and as long as the variety is selected appropriately, it can be cultivated almost anywhere.
The second is the amount of moisture in the soil. The amount of moisture directly affects the strength of the tree and the size of the fruit. Table grapes require large fruit, but for wine grapes, on the other hand, smaller fruit is preferred. This is one of the qualities that is particularly required for red wine. Red wine is made by soaking the skins in the brewing process, so the more skins there are, the more the skin components can be dissolved in the wine. Small fruits also prevent the fruits from sticking together, which not only prevents diseases but also increases the sense of concentration. Hida is a rainy region. The amount of rainfall during the growing season from April to October is 1300mm to 1800mm, which is not ideal for grape cultivation. However, this rain is concentrated in the period up to July, and if this can be endured, the autumn climate is not inferior to that of the production area. Rainfall, which determines the quality of the fruit, has the greatest impact one month before harvest. For this reason, if the weather is good from August onwards, good grapes can be harvested. (At least when it comes to eating raw food, it's proven.)
The third is soil microbial activity. - This is also related to electronic techniques, so I will write about it after studying it a bit more. -
The fourth is training. It is said that hedge-training is the norm for cultivating wine grapes, but I don't think so. I have tried grapes trained in various ways, and if they are grown in a field where proper vine management and limiting the number of bunches per tree are possible, there is almost no difference in taste, at least when eaten raw, depending on the training method. (Leaving aside the question of whether my tongue is strange or not) I am aware that by raising new shoots, the fruit size is suppressed, the proportion of the skin in the fruit is increased, and a concentrated taste is achieved, but my conclusion is that the climate, the amount of moisture in the soil, and the microbial activity of the soil have a large influence before that. In fact, grapes with a concentrated feel were harvested in the trellis-trained fields that I was shown during my training, and in some papers that investigated the differences due to training, there was no difference in the size of the berries. In other words, the discussion about training should only begin when you are in a place that is capable of growing high-quality grapes and meets the three conditions mentioned above, and you want to harvest even higher quality grapes.I believe that, except for places known as famous wine-producing regions (fields with an optimal climate, underground physical and chemical properties, and active microorganisms for the variety), as long as you follow the principles of canopy management, there are ingenious measures that should be taken before training.
Taking into account what we have discussed so far, let's consider grape cultivation methods in Hida.