Growing Gruner - part 1: in water

This is not at all about 'green' vine growing. It's about gruner veltliner, the star white grape variety of Austria.

Last November I visited Austria for the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC). At one of the tastings we were given cuttings of gruner veltliner to take home (easier to carry than wine bottles!) with simple in structions: "Put in water for two weeks. Plant in earth. Let us know what happens!"

Gruner veltliner planting instructions

Winter was coming so it was not really the best time to plant new vines. Especially this winter. But we already have some chasselas, cabernet franc and merlot on the balcony so adding a gruner veltliner would be nice.

Now temperatures start to warm up so I though now would be a good time to do it.

I don't know if the cuttings will have survived a dry and warm apartment winter climate, but we will see.

This is the first post to see what happens, if it goes well.

So I have put the cuttings in water, as the (very quick) viticultural training told me to do (view from above):

My two gruner veltliner cuttings from Austria

This is where (I hope) the roots will start developing:

Gruner veltliner, where the roots will sprout

And this is where the bud will sprout, and grapes will come - in time the source for a lovely peppery gruner veltliner wine (one can always dream):

A gruner veltliner bud?

I will be back with progress reports!

Related articles

• Grüner Veltliner to the Rescue (organicwinejournal.com)
• Getting a Line on Gruner Veltliner (vinessetoday.com)
• Most planted grape varieties in Austria (bkwineblog.blogspot.com)
• Vandals attack historic grapevine (independent.co.uk)