Jaan Kivistik
There are two important seas for Europeans: the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea. People of the Mediterranean countries have grown and enjoyed grapes for centuries. They feed on grape and wine. Grape growers on the coasts of the Baltic Sea are grape lovers in most cases. Some grape experts from the Baltic Sea countries have gathered at Sabile today. I suppose that Norway is a Baltic Sea country, too. I would like to meet friends from the northern areas of Russia and Germany in similar conferences, too. We are northern grape growers. We couldn't learn from southern grape growers in particular because we have different climate, different methods of grape growing and different varieties.
Sabile is a famous historical place because the first of all northern vineyards in the world lay here some time ago. The green line on the picture shows northern front of the grape area by Romuald Loiko. It has shifted to Finland now and Estonia lies in the rear already. Our small country is probably the most northern country where one can grow grapes out of doors on the whole territory. I'd like to zone our country on the basis of summer heat into three: zones of chilly (A-zone), moderate (B-zone) and warm (C-zone) summers. On the map there you can see dwelling-places of some well-known grape lovers in Estonia.
I prefer "cultivar" instead of "variety" because we grow cultivated varieties in the gardens.
We have a lot of people who have got dozens of cultivars. I refer to some who have got more than a hundred grape cultivars.
Aili Kivistik lives at Roogoja farm which places near Kose-Risti in Harju county (A-zone). She has got more than 170 cultivars. She grows grapes majority in unheated greenhouses. Night frosts are often there. Aili sells young plants and have written articles about grape growing.
Raimu Aas at Haava farm near Haapsalu in Lääne county (B-zone) has got about 150 cultivars mainly on open field. He uses his grapes for wine making.
Harri Poom at Saare-Tõrvaaugu gardening farm near Vändra in Pärnu county (B-zone) has got about 130 cultivars in new greenhouses. Harri is interested in growing of table grapes, melons and water-melons.
Lija Kaska at Pruuli-Kaska farm near Sõmerpalu in Võru county (C-zone) has got about 190 cultivars and about 50 seedlings in greenhouses and on open field. She introduces her collection on fairs and sells joung plants there.
About two hundred cultivars are grown in Estonia. We have a list of recommended cultivars for growing in Estonia. It simplifies choosing cultivars for beginners.
Recommended cultivars since 2010.
Out of doors we recommend
'Hasanski Sladki' is frosthardy, its berries ripen very early
'Kuzminski Sinii' (CGL 2-05-43) ripen early and has red juice
'Sukribe'
'Zilga' isn't resistent to downy mildew
'Rondo' is sensitive to downy mildew
'Jubilei Novgoroda'
'Silva' (bred by A. Gailiunas)
In unheated greenhouses we recommend
'Aljoshenkin' is sensitive to diseases and needs cover in winter
'Supaga'
'Krassavets'
'Kosmonavt' is sensitive to diseases and needs cover in winter
'Swenson Red'
Production and sale of young plants of grapes is profitable for some producers. You can find their website addresses on this slide.
Elmar Zimmer at Seedri nursery at Polli in Viljandi county.
Tiit Juhani at Juhani nursery in Tartu.
Taavi Kivistik at Roogoja farm near Kose-Risti in Harju county.
Lija Kaska at Pruuli-Kaska farm near Sõmerpalu in Võru county.
Harri Poom at Saare-Tõrvaaugu gardening farm near Vändra in Pärnu county.
Meristem-propagator Hedi Kaldmäe at Räpina in Põlva county.
There have been built some large unheated greenhouses to produce table grapes in Estonia. Some growers hope to get the first yield this year.
Harri Poom has got more than 1400 m2 (square metres ) of new grape greenhouses. He has started selecting suitable cultivars for growing in unheated greenhouses.
Lija Kaska has about 1600 m2 of unheated greenhouses. She has got three new greenhouses. One of them is fruit-bearing since this year.
Meelis Värnik lives not far from Lija's farm. He has got over 900 m2 of new greenhouses and hopes first yield this year.
There have been founded some vineyards on the open fields. I refer to two of them.
Jaak Eensalu at Annemäe Farm near Otepää in Valga county has got about 3000 m2 of plantation. He planted the first 300 'Rondo' plants in 2006 and the rows of 'Hasanski Sladki', 'Phoenix' and 'Solaris' later.
Uku and Kertu Kuut have planted a wineyard near Orissaare on the island Saaremaa.
Raimu Aas brewed 160 litres of grape wine in 2010.
In Rõhu Experimental Station of the university they brewed wines of their grapes in 2009.
Jaak Eensalu has got equipment for winemaking and made first wine in 2009. Jaak is going to tell about his work more exactly today.
Training days are arranged at Räpina Gardening School in Põlva county and at Harri Poom's farm. Students learn grape growing as an optional subject at Räpina since the former academic year.
Kadri Karp is a manager of the research work in the University of the Life Sciences in Tartu. They have established a plantation at Rõhu Experimental Station in 2007 and plantations in three farms in 2003. Plantations in farms lie at Lümanda on island Saaremaa, at Ruusmäe in Haanja district in Võru county and at Kambja in Tartu county. Kadri and her students have explored suitability of cultivars for wine making. They have measured index of maturity, containing anthocyanin and other substances in berries of some cultivars. They have compared the containing of resveratrol of local grape wines and of those bought at stores.
Diseases don't damage grapes in North-Estonia, but it is a problem in South-Estonia. Powdery mildew (Oidium Tuckeri) damaged grapes some years ago out of doors at Räpina, downy mildew (Plasmopora viticola) ruined yield in Jaak Eensalu's vineyard last summer.
Raccoon dog is a problem in vineyard of Raimu Aas, fox at Rõhu, birds and wasps everywhere at times.
We have a problem with night frosts in spring in some places.
The storm burst Lija Kaska's new greenhouses in summer 2010 and heavy snow destroyed many greenhouses last winter.
The book "Viinamarjad Eestis / Grapes in Estonia" 2006 but it has been sold off.
I renew the website (homepage) "Grapes in Estonia" at times http://ak.rapina.ee/jaan/viinamarjad/index_i.htm
I recommend to clik word "NEWS" on the main page. You can read the chronicle since 2006 there. We can remind our visit to Sabile vineyard at the time of the First International Conference of Northern Viticulture in November 2006. A photo taken that time and sent me by Andris Dishlers finishes my report.
Thank you!
12.-28.07.2011