[RWebb]

I thought you were in Illinois??

You do not want really fertile soil BTW - the vines "need to struggle" for nutrients and for water.

I have 2 friends who are vintners (Pinot Noir mostly) - post some more info and I can run it by them if you want.

You should buy a used copy of Buckman and Brady's book on soils.

I suspect the huge explosion in wine drinking in the US (and good wines, at that) has fueled some of the expansion of grape growing. Also some of the movies - BTW a friend just told me there will be a sequel to Sideways, called vertical, and set in Oregon this time - revolves around the annual IPNC boozefest. Kinda sad really, as we have too many tourists now and IPNC will never be the same afterwards.