Special Article for the Salisbury Post

Darrell Blackwelder

October 12, 2006

   Each fall Jody Shuping and wife Kim throw a party that lasts for three weekends for family, a few friends and sometimes for people they don’t even know!!  The Shuping’s turn what most vineyard operators consider a time of utter chaos into a festival of grape harvest with friends and neighbors as the harvesters.

     Shuping began Dutch Creek Vineyard in 1997, calling his vineyard “the big experiment” of growing French vinifera grapes after learning about the relationship between red wine and good health at a winegrowers meeting. Shuping received his early indoctrination with grapes in 1971, working after school with Hubert Davis in his muscadine vineyard.  Shuping gathered information from the grower at Biltmore Estates and began with caution “starting out small” with 800 vines from Sonoma County, California. Dutch Creek vineyard now has 1200 vines including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and Viognier.

     Shuping laments that growing a vineyard is more labor and financially intensive than most people realize.  The average cost of installation a vineyard is nearly $15,000 per acre.  The season begins with pruning in February and continues until frost shuts the vines down in late fall.  Shuping estimates it takes about 10 hours labor per week per acre to maintain his vineyard. The primary labor force includes himself, wife, Kim; son, J. Michael; and friend, Jim Effinger, retired co-worker from Duke Energy who enjoys the outdoors.  Son, J. Michael, has become pretty handy on the riding equipment and daughters Jordan, Katelyn, and Anna-Leigh also pitch in with the crop.  “For the kids, except for harvest time, it’s mostly voluntary. We don’t want them to grow up hating the vineyard”.

      Grape harvest is the most labor intensive part of the operation. Shuping compiles a list of interested people through the year referring to it as his “hero” list. The list includes lots of extended family, friends, neighbors, and kids, friends of kids, and interested people who just want some time in the vineyard.  There is compensation for workers college age and down.  The adults’ services are volunteer.  Shuping divided this year’s harvest into three Saturday mornings to make the event a fun time and not drudgery.

     The biggest challenge for Shuping or any vinefera grape grower in our area is the weather.  In 2001, April 17^th and 18^th the temperature plummeted to 26 °F.  Dutch Creek Vineyard was decimated by freeze damage and approximately 80% of the vines required replacement. Warm winters, drought, excessive rain, hot summers and cool summers are other weather related factors that often make growers second guess their intentions. Growers also contend with bacteria, viruses and any insect or animal that walks, climbs, or flies, and eats grapes. 

     Shuping sells to local wineries learning quickly that the grape market is very finicky. In 2005, he could have sold every grape three times, however, this year the market was dead.  His goal is to grow quality grapes and establish a predicable market.  Shuping states ‘I’m lucky that our vineyard is small and adaptable and we’re able to learn to do many things better.  The important thing is to keep it fun, keep it interesting”.

Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County.