Grow Your Own Magazine

My partner & I are in the process of buying a couple of houses with smallish vineyards in Slovenia. We are hoping to get some locals to cultivate our vines and make the wine for us to share (we'd get a smaller percentage) & to show us the ropes so we can eventually take it all on ourselves. Has anyone had experience of doing this and if so how did it work out having someone else manage the vines for you? Also, can anyone recommend a beginners guide to viniculture?
Any thoughts gratefully received.

Hi Slovenia4Us and welcome to the Vine. When I fist saw your log on name I wondered who you were until I read your post
I understand your plan to learn the ropes from experienced vine workers and would say that no mater how many books you read, watching someone carry out the job in hand always works best of all.
All my learning regarding gardening has come from books as I grew up a bit of an orphan
The first time I tried taking Geranium cuttings most of them died. It was not until I saw Alan Titchmarch carry out the same job did I see where I had been going wrong. I was just out in my trimming of the cuttings by a matter of less than 1cm but it made all the difference to how they survived.
Jax

Thanks for the welcome, Jax. You are right, of course, that seeing how something is done (and trying it yourself too) is the best way to learn. We are planning to move to Slovenia this summer, I just want to read a bit about how the viniculture thing works before we move. Just been on a site called Self Sufficient-ish and seen a reference to book called 'From Vines to Wines' so will track that down.
Regards
Slov 1

I have just had a look on Amazon and they have lots of books to choose from. As well as From Vines To Wine by Jeff Cox there is Venture Into Viticulture by Tom Crossen. Just put viticulture into the search and a couple of hundred books come up to choose from. Good luck in your new venture.

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Thanks, Lesley
Slov 1

Quite a funky looking sight there slov 1... will have a good nose around self sufficient-ish later tonight, cheers!

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

pleased to read about your slovenia vineyard idea I have been looking in Georgia but nothing yet. What sites did you use to find your slovenia vineyard?? I took every book on the subject of vineyards out of the Brighton library (6) and I still found 'growing vines to make wines by Nick Poulter' to be the only one that made sense. All the others seemed to know what they wanted to pass on but could not describe it. This book lists vine varieties that would suit whatever climate you are in. Essential reading. Good luck and don't forget 'clenliness is everything in brewing'

Hello Brewer
Thanks for the encouraging response and tip re the Poulter book!
When we 1st started looking at buying property in Slovenia it wasn't really with a view to getting into viticulture, however, in the area we are buying (Prekmuje, near the Hungarian & Croatian borders) almost all of the houses we saw had vineyards as it's a real local obsession. If you are interested in buying Slovenia you could look at the Slovenia For Families website (this is just a personal recommendation, I have no business links with them or with anyone else, actually!).
Regards
Slov1