Strawberry Wine

Does anyone know the best strawberries to make strawberry wine for my area? I also am looking for a good recipe for both strawberry and cherry wine recipes.

Thank you.

And I would like to know the same for the mountain Virginia area.

Looking for strawberries - as I can

Winter tends to turn into summer rather suddenly some years, and I also seem to miss when to plant, so along with the type of strawberries that are best for making wine, I would also like to know when is the best time to plant them?

I don't know how different the climates of your respective parts of Ohio and Virginia differ, but in my limited experience, bare root strawberry plants that were transplanted into well-amended soil in the early fall and allowed some time to get established before going into dormancy (and protected with a thick layer of their namesake -- straw) did exceptionally well in the spring. I did pinch off blossoms in the fall and the first wave of blossoms in the spring and then I just let them go.

These were Chandler plants off the internet as I had heard such good things about them, but while they were very productive (15-30 medium sized strawberries per plant x 24), the flavor was not to my liking. Perhaps it is my taste buds. Perhaps it is the Houston climate (the people recommending Chandler were in N. California).

One of the interesting aspects of strawberry planting, at least what information that was provided to me when I ordered my bare root plants, is that planting technique matters a great deal.

First -- making sure to plant ONE and only one crown or "mother plant" per hole. Most of the live transplants at Home Depot, etc. of Quinault, Sequoia, etc. strawberries are one or two sets of 2-3 crowns bunched right next to each other. I think they should be separated.

Second -- crown and root placement. The diagram I saw indicated that the hole should be deep enough so that roots can be placed in the hole straight down (not fanned out), without them curling up or twisting at the bottom. The crown, according to the diagrams, needed to be exactly at the soil line. Too high, and the plant would dry out. Too low, and the plant would be susceptible to disease and not produce as well.

http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt9320fig2.jpg (image -- middle is ideal)

It took me an hour to plant 25 plants in this fashion, but the results were very good, I just didn't like the taste all that much!! I might give it another shot next year with some other varieties. My initial disappointment with the productivity of Quinault turned out to not be the fault of the plant, but the nurseries. If the plants were available in September, then they would exceed my expectations, but since they are usually only available in mid-February, the plant has no chance to get established and produces only in fits and starts. I am considering ordering ~25 bare root plants of Quinault next year.

P.S. Everbearing strawberries have gotten a reputation as "neverbearing". By planting in the fall and pinching blossoms then, as well as the first flush in the spring, I am growing them as Junebearing (in my case mid-March through late April).

This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 8:33 PM

Feldon30,

Thank you so much for this information. It is very helpful. So, I guess I missed the boat because I should have planted my Strawberries in the fall. I think I may try planting some this spring anyway, and plant more in the fall, and see which ones have the best success. Did you like the taste of the Quinault? I am thinking you must have to try more. I am sure that the environment and soil must have a lot to do with the taste. Since I am considerably farther north than you are, and have a shorter growth time, I'm sure that will have a factor to the taste as well. I have a compost pile, and will be mixing that with soil for my garden.
Have you heard of these huge strawberries that Gurney is selling? They are called whoppers. I think I may try those for kicks.

If you plant a variety and make the rows or blocks where you plant them you can report back on your favs. I ordered a deal on bare root unmarked and I can tell you my most insipid berry is still better than store bought hardly ripe!

and I need to figure out the types that work here.

Quinault is a well-known variety in Houston. The few plants that I had kept alive of Quinault from the previous year, even though the crowns were right next to each other (dramatically reducing production) I still preferred the taste to Chandler. I would imagine that Chandler tastes great when grown in Northern California or Ohio.

The other strawberry varieties I see here quite often are Allstar and Sequoia. Even though some are everbearing and some are junebearing, I would treat them as if they were junebearing with the aforementioned planting schedule and blossom picking.

It's snowing again today and still very frozen. I guess it will be awhile before I can plant strawberries or anything else, but I'm getting itchy to feel the sun again.

I'm planning to plant Sparkle this year and replace some of the current berries that aren't as sweet as I'd like. The problem is, they always escape and go running away so I'm never sure what berries are where in the bed.

More snow here and it is almost April. I wonder if I will ever be able to plant those strawberries. I hope so. I've actually been dreaming about them. The sweetness and taste of good homegrown produce can't be beat.

I am in northern Kansas and I like SureCrop strawberries. They have great flavor and freeze well, retaining their flavor and texture. I have never tried it, but my brother has made some very good wine from my strawberries.

This message was edited May 7, 2008 3:27 PM