Vine Density For Our Vineyard

One of the first critical decisions we made was to determine our vine density for our vineyard. We knew that we wanted to plant our north field which is approximately 4 acres with 3 varieties of grapes, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Auxerrois. We plan to orient our rows in a north-south direction which will lead to the interception of the most sunlight. We decided that the vine density that would do best at our site would be a spacing of 4 feet in row (intrarow) by 7 feet between rows (interrow). We chose that spacing because we learned through reading the literature that an intrarow spacing of 4 feet will lead to the development of quality grapes and since we wanted to make the best use of our 4 acres, we choose to go with 7 feet between rows. In choosing the 7 feet interrow spacing, we need to bear in mind that we cannot violate the 1:1 ratio of canopy height to width ratio. If the canopy height exceeds the interrow spacing, the shade that is cast from one row to the next can have an impact on the quality of the grapes.
Deciding on our vineyard density then lead to the determination of how many vines we would need to purchase. According to the chart below, we would need 1556 plants per acre. ¹:

I am learning (relearning) that our close vine spacing within the row, according to Lucie Morton² will not necessarily mitigate against excessive vigor that we believe will be a problem on our site. However, Lucie Morton is stressing that for smaller vineyards, making the most of the available land is key.
The vine density decision is part of an integral look at the following critical determinants for creating a quality vineyard:

• varietal/clone selection
• rootstock
• irrigation
• trellis
• pruning system
• row direction
• rainfall
• the number of degree days of sunlight
• soil characteristics

1. Vines Per Acre Guide
2. An excellent and relevant reference for East Coast grape growers regarding vine density: Grape Press, The Quarterly Newsletter of the Virginia Vineyards Association, Vol. 27 No. 1 April 2011.