Vitis vinifera Incana - Ornamental Grape Vine

The Vitis vinifera 'Incana' is a wonderful ornamental vine, beautiful for a good part of the year, vigorous and productive. It is distinguished by its ample soft green foliage covered in a silver down and its young leaves that are almost white. A peculiarity that allows for astonishing contrasts with dark or purple foliage. Like all wine vines, it climbs by clinging to its support through tendrils and produces small edible and tasty grapes at the end of summer. It catches attention again in autumn, adorned with magnificent red-orange shades. Hardy and undemanding, it thrives in the sun, in ordinary but well-drained soil, preferably neutral to limestone.

The wine vine (Vitis vinifera) grew wild more than 5000 years ago, it belongs to the vitaceae family. Its introduction in France, for cultivation, was done through the Romans. Many hybrids have been created to vary colours, flavours and uses. The 'Incana' vine is a vigorous climbing shrub, with rapid growth, capable of living very long years in the garden. This variety reaches an average height of 4.5 metres (15 feet), but can send its shoots up to 10 metres (33 feet) depending on the growing conditions. Its final shape will depend on the pruning practiced. The vine clings to its support (trellis, espalier) thanks to its tendrils and loves sunny situations. It has a semi-erect to horizontal habit. It is recommended to train it on wire and to trellis it well. The young shoots and young leaves are very silvery on 'Incana'. The mature leaves, rounded, 7 to 15 cm (3 to 6in) long, are divided into 3 toothed lobes. The lamina is light green in colour and covered with a silvery pubescence that is denser when the plant is exposed to the sun. The foliage turns red-orange in autumn before falling. The grapes are gathered in small clusters, tightly packed together. These round berries, initially green, ripen in September-October, earlier in sunny, hot regions. The flowering in clusters occurs in June-July, offering very small green and naked flowers. The small berries that follow are black-violet when ripe, with thick and pruinose skin. The pulp is flavorful, acidic and sweet.

Not very susceptible to mildew, this vine avoids repeated treatments. It is indifferent to soil types: not very greedy, it nevertheless prefers clay-limestone, rocky soils. 'Incana' climbs on any support available: it covers fences, climbs over hedges, reaches into bushes and trees, and quickly dresses up arbors and pergolas. Its silver colour particularly goes well with dark purple or very dark green foliage. For example, pair it with Vitis vinifera var. tinctoria, red from June, a 'Black Lace' elderberry, a purple hazelnut or a 'Royal Purple' Cotinus. The bright red stars of the climbing clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon' will be enhanced by the silver brilliance of the large leaves of the 'Incana' vine.

Grapes can be consumed as table fruit, fresh, but also in jam, jelly, fruit juice, pastries, and of course, after vinification, as wine or spirits. This 'Incana' variety, superb, intriguing, surprising, can also be trellised not far from the terrace, to have its beautiful clusters within reach.