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WineEast Since the release of Blanc Du Bois, the variety has found its way into commercial production in southeastern states such as Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Currently Tex- as is leading the industry in production of Blanc Du Bois with more than 150 acres in production in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state (over 30 acres in Austin County alone) and more than 20 commer- cial wines. Growers in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi have expressed an increasing interest in Blanc Du Bois because they view the variety as a unique alternative to Muscadines with wine characteristics that are more similar to vinifera. Blanc Du Bois in the vineyard Blanc Du Bois is a moderate to highly vigor- ous grape variety that has a procumbent or sprawling growth habit adaptable to either a vertical shoot positioned or a downward sprawling vine-training system. Shoots of Blanc Du Bois contain up to three clusters with an average cluster size of about 0.3 pounds per cluster. Depending on the soil vig- or and vine-training system, yields can range Wine Packaging by Naylor Naylor is the premier supplier to over 2000 wineries, wine shops and distributors in the US and Ca. WPN's products are biodegradable and recyclable.Our shipping boxes have been approved by Fed Ex & UPS and our in-stock items include wine carriers, gift boxes and wine shippers.Our design team can assist you with specialized packaging and custom imprinting. Temperatures < or = 10ºF (-12.2ºC) 1972-97 (25-year average) 1 day (very high risk areas to the south and east) 2 days (high risk areas to the south and east) 3 or more days moderate risk areas to the south and east and low-risk areas to the north and west TN Pierce's disease-positive sites Pierce's disease-negative sites SC AL WinePkgingNaylor_Dir11.qxp 11/24/10 4:0 www.naylorpackaging.com (800) 292-3370 or (717) 993-2431 Fax (717) 993-9460 4138 Vineyard Rd. Stewartstown, PA 17363 sales@naylorwine.com Naylor Wine Cellars has been a winery for over thirty-five years & is a lifetime member of Wine America and the PA Wine Association. 76 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012 from about 3 tons to 8 tons per acre. Blanc Du Bois in Texas is usually grown on vertical shoot positioned, high bi-lateral cordon and Geneva double curtain training systems. The overwhelming majority of Blanc Du Bois is planted on its own roots. However, it does not perform well on its own roots in calcareous soils. As a result, in Texas it is recommended to graft Blanc Du Bois onto a Pierce's disease-tolerant rootstock for calcareous soil where soil pH is greater than 7.0 in order to improve vigor and reduce deficiencies of micronutrients such as iron and zinc. Own-rooted vines have been productive for more than 20 years in the Texas Gulf Coast in slightly acidic soils (pH 5.5 to 6.5). Blanc Du Bois is an early ripening variety, with bud break occurring about mid-March and harvest beginning as early as the first week in July in the central Texas Gulf Coast. Winemakers selectively harvest between 16° and 22° Brix, 6 to 10 grams per liter titrat- able acidity, and with a pH of 3.2 to 3.5, depending on the wine style desired. The wide range of accepted fruit chemistry al- lows for a long harvest period that can target several wine styles, or a total harvest early in the range if needed to avoid late-season rots caused by excessive rain near harvest. The cold hardiness of Blanc Du Bois has not been formally investigated. Con- sequently, states in the northern reaches of the eastern PD-affected area should proceed with caution as temperatures where it currently grows rarely drop to 10°F. GA In the Texas Gulf Coast, more than 3 inches of rainfall per month in June through July resulted in complete crop loss of late-season reds in some vineyards in 2007 and 2010, whereas Blanc Du Bois was harvested early with minimal crop loss. Well-drained, sandy loam soils tend to show less rot problems than heavy clay soils, which indicates that appropriate site selec- tion further improves the ability to extend ripening of Blanc Du Bois. Although Blanc Du Bois tolerates PD, it is still susceptible to a wide range of foliar and fruit diseases in the southeast includ- ing anthracnose, black rot, phomopsis and ripe rot. The original release by Mortensen suggested that Blanc Du Bois is resistant to downy mildew, however, infections are well documented during prolonged wet condi- tions in Texas, albeit less severe than in other varieties. Remarkably, powdery mildew has never been documented on Blanc Du Bois in Texas. To prevent early season outbreaks of anthracnose, growers there have adopted the practice of applying lime sulfur (cal- cium polysulfide) as a dormant spray just before bud break, followed by a standard fungicide program from bud break to verai- son for other foliar and fruit diseases. Blanc Du Bois is tolerant of nematodes if planted on its own roots; however, it is susceptible to Phymatotrichum root rot, which is a problem on calcareous soil with high clay content found in some areas of Texas and the southwest. The primary insect pest of NC VA Grapegrowing Pierce's Disease Risk in the Southeastern United States