Which Yield Metric Is Best for Growing Grapes?

There is an old adage: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. And, like most crops, yield is an important feature of a vineyard. Tons per acre is used often as a way to express vineyard crop yields. However, it is a pretty coarse measure. This measure glosses over vineyard attributes that have a big bearing on crop production, such as vine row planting density and trellis fill.

A better way to look at vineyard yields is to look at crop per linear unit of row. Crop per foot of row can feel abstract, but it is a good tool for managers to estimate and manage their crop levels in the vineyard.

For example there can be two neighboring vineyards: One is planted with rows 8 feet apart, and one is planted with rows 11 feet apart. The difference in row spacing will determine how many rows can fit into an acre of land. About 30% more linear feet of row are found in one acre at 8-foot row spacing than 11-foot row spacing. This will have an influence on how much crop can be produced in these two vineyards.

The above table will give some approximate guidance of linear feet per acre. But it’s a good idea to go out and ground truth the measurements of the vineyard block you are working on. Then, when you have the linear feet worked out, you can easily estimate crop or collect pruning weights by vine or by panel. Just take a tape measure to confirm the linear row length of the vines/panels that you are using to collect this data.

Crop level per unit row length gives managers a better handle on their crop level and how it may be necessary to adjust crop level. Once one has a handle on the vine spacing and panel spacing in the vine row, one can easily convert between units of row length. For example, vines 5 feet apart, posts 20 feet apart. I like to do crop estimations by counting clusters per panel. Then, if the crop needs to be adjusted, work down a quick work order of “drop X clusters per vine.”

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We all know that farming is complex, and no two fields are the same. However, looking at vines at a basic production metric like “per foot of row” breaks a complicated field into smaller pieces that are more easily managed.