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A New Southern Classic "P EAST TN AL etit what?" I gasped when my husband mentioned he wanted to plant Petit Manseng at Tiger Mountain Vineyards. I had that same uneasy feeling I'd experienced when he told me he was going to plant Tannat, which had caused me to wonder if we'd be peddling grapes out of the back of a pickup truck instead of making fine wine, our ultimate goal. Of course, I had to admit the Tannat turned out to be popular with our wine club members and several upscale Atlanta wine shops. John learned of Petit Manseng from his long-time Virginia mentor, Dennis Horton, owner of Horton Vineyards in Gordonsville, Va., who is never afraid to try the unusual if he thinks it will produce quality fruit in a southeastern terroir. So, it was no surprise that when Dennis called excitedly in 2002 to tell John he should plant Petit Manseng, John could hardly wait to try this Jurançon grape. We ordered the first bare- root plants in 2002 from Ute Amberg, who owns NC Atlanta Tiger Mountain Vineyards Macon GEORGIA SC Clusters of Petit Manseng thrive in the decayed granite soils of the southern Appalachian Mountains. FL Grafted Grapevines in Clifton Springs, N.Y., for $3.25 per plant. We planted 454 vines—almost an acre—choosing a moderately steep, sunny, well-drained slope and training the vines on a Geneva double curtain trellis. In the past four years we have added another half-acre. Petit Manseng seems to thrive in the Tiger Mountain soils, where they are planted at 2,000 feet. The soil is not Georgia red clay, as some assume, but largely the ancient, decayed granite of the southern Appalachians, which are, after all, some of the world's oldest mountains. We planted the vines in rows running east to west, spaced 8 feet apart. (John says he would make those 6 feet apart if he could do it all over again.) We use divided trellis systems throughout the Ezzard vineyards—either Geneva double curtain or open lyre—and think these training systems assure that more air and sun penetrate the vines in a humid climate. Using Geneva double curtain was not unusual for us. There is nothing extraordinary in the pruning of these vines, either. We cut to two buds in late January and leave about eight shoots on each cordon, just as we do for all of our vinifera. WineEast One Georgia winery calls Petit Manseng the perfect grape for southeastern terroir By Martha Ezzard Mention this code: BGW11VE to receive 10% OFF entire order! Wines & Vines nOVeMBeR 2011 95