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June 2016 WINES&VINES 61 WINE EAST GRAPEGROWING KEY POINTS Most grapes grown in Alabama are muscadines or hybrids that are resistant to Pierce's disease (PD) but do not have the flavor profile of wines made from vinifera grapes. New PD-resistant vinifera vines developed at the University of California, Davis, give Alabama growers new choices. Two Alabama vineyards signed up to be test sites for the PD-resistant vines from UC Davis. Both wineries planted PD-resistant vines in 2014 and again in 2016. Grapevines resistant to PD also were planted at Auburn University's Chilton Research and Extension Center (CREC) near Clanton, Ala., in 2010. Six years later, all the vines are free of PD and producing quality fruit. A fter several years of effort, the goal of planting Pierce's disease (PD)-resistant vinifera wine grapes at White Oak Vineyards in northeast Alabama is finally a reality. When we first opened our doors in 2004, the idea was to produce a variety of wines grown on our own estate. We started out planting muscadine grapes along with several French hybrids including Cham- bourcin, Chardonel, Seyval Blanc, Villard Blanc and Norton, along with several trials of T.V. Munson and Florida varieties. It quickly be- came apparent that the Munson and Florida varieties were PD resistant but exhibited strong herbaceous, foxy characteristics that we found unpleasant and, for the most part, missed the mark when it came to consumer preference. All the other varieties slowly died from Pierce's disease except for Norton and Villard Blanc, and the Villard Blanc did in fact succumb after 10 years to something resembling PD. That left us with Norton, which produced a good wine, though it still has a slight herbaceous, foxy character. It was painfully clear that winegrowers in the northern tier of the southeastern United States have limited choices, as the wines from the most PD-resistant wine grapes were almost undrinkable. There was an upside to all of the different bunch grapes that I grew at White Oak Vineyards: I learned how to manage and control the big four fungal diseases that are present and persistent in the eastern United States: powdery mildew, downy mildew, phomophsis and botrytis bunch rot, along with others. Early on, I discovered a spray guide from Michigan State University that was well written, easy to follow and, most im- portantly, its advice worked. While I still refer to it today, I have developed my own spray guide based on the prevailing climatic factors, time of the growing season and different sensitivities of the grapevines. This is underpinned by what I New Vines Are Game Changers in Alabama Growing Pierce's disease-resistant vinifera wine grapes in northeast Alabama By Randal Wilson These Pierce's disease- resistant vines are healthy after six years at the Chilton Research and Extension Center near Clanton, Ala.