Grapevine: planting, cultivation, pruning

Description and botany

The grapevine for wine or table grapes (Vitis vinifera) is a sarmentous, climbing shrub grown for its edible fruit, belonging to family Vitaceae, like ornamental vines (Virginia creeper Parthenocissus, Vitis coignetiae or “Coignet’s vine”). Cultivated since Antiquity in warm regions of Europe, the Middle East and North America where it grew wild more than 7,000 years ago, it was introduced to France by the Romans around 600 BC.

Many cultivars are derived from Vitis vinifera (cultivars are called grape varieties). Distinction is made between wine grape varieties, more or less early and intended for winemaking (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling…) and table grape varieties (Chasselas doré, Muscat of Hamburg, Ampelia® range) used to produce table grapes. Numerous hybrids, less susceptible to disease and seedless, have been developed to offer a range of colours, flavours and uses.

This vigorous climbing liana produces long, sarmentous and voluble shoots called sarments. They coil around supports using tendrils or shoots. On a deep root (which can descend to 5 metres in the soil), it forms a vine-plant or trunk, attractively gnarled, branching into several sarments. Bark peels in strips over time. Mature, it will easily reach 6–7 m in height or spread. A grapevine can live for centuries!

Grapevine offers very decorative deciduous foliage in spring and takes on beautiful autumn colours.

Vitis vinifera – botanical illustration by P.J. Redouté

Shoots bear large alternate, petiolate leaves, 6 to 20 cm long, composed of 3 to 7 palmate leaflets, cordate at the base and more or less dentate at the margin. Underside may be pubescent. Through the seasons, from bud burst period to leaf fall, foliage changes from pale or medium green at emergence to golden yellow, orange, purplish-red or scarlet in autumn before falling.

The inconspicuous flowering, opposite the leaves, appears in May–June depending on climate, producing thyrsi 10–12 cm long, fairly loose, made up of very small flowers. They have 4–5 whitish-green or pinkish-white petals and 5 protruding stamens.

From August to October depending on earliness, these insignificant flowers develop into edible berries, coloured grapes with skins blue-black, amber yellow, pinkish-red to dark red, sometimes violet or greenish-white to yellow-green. Attached individually to the rachis and borne on secondary branches called pedicels, the berries form small elongated, pyramidal clusters.

These berries, covered with white bloom, are round to ovoid or elliptical and contain 4 seeds, the pips. Vigne Philipp is an original variety distinguished by oddly pear-shaped grapes, resembling small pears.

Juicy pulp conceals an aromatic flavour, more or less sweet depending on variety, with notes of blackcurrant, tobacco, cherry, green pepper, vanilla, violet, dark chocolate, sweet spices, fern, smoke, plum, liquorice, undergrowth or even wild strawberry in Fragola vines.

Depending on variety, grapes are eaten as table fruit, fresh, or of course used to make wine or spirits after winemaking.

Very hardy, down to about -20°C, the grapevine can be grown throughout France in sunny, warm situations. Undemanding about soil and fairly frugal, it should be planted in well-drained, deep soil, even poor, dry and calcareous.

Main species and varieties

Best white grape varieties

Best black grape varieties

Best pink grape varieties

Other interesting varieties to discover

Vitis vinifera Chasselas Doré - Grape vine

A very old, highly fertile table grape variety. Flesh is fine and melting, juicy, sweet and highly aromatic.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 4 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Italia - Grape vine

A vigorous white grape variety with large, oval, crunchy berries and a slightly muscat flavour. Result of a cross-breeding: Bicane x Muscat de Hambourg and listed in the Official Catalogue of table grape varieties.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Perle de Csaba - Grape Vine

An old grape variety with exceptionally early ripeness. It was created at the beginning of the 20th century from a cross between Madeleine Angevine and Muscat Fleur d'Oranger.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Ampelia Perdin - Grape vine

This variety, created by INRA, is highly disease-resistant. Early-ripening, well suited to regions north of the Loire.

• Flowering time May
• Height at maturity 4 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Ampelia Candin - Grape vine

This vine is fairly disease-resistant. Perfect for amateur gardens. Flesh has a pronounced, pleasant muscat flavour.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Muscat de Hambourg - Grape vine

An old, well-known variety: vigorous and fertile, with low susceptibility to disease. A remarkable variety whose fruits keep well.

• Flowering time April
• Height at maturity 7 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Boskoop Glory - Grape vine

A fast-growing vine with good yield. Hardy, it is easy to grow north of the Loire. However, it is susceptible to disease.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 7 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon - Grape vine

A wine grape. An old variety widely grown in Gironde and the southwest, where it features in appellations such as Médoc, Graves, Saint-Émilion, Bergerac and Pécharmant. Fairly susceptible to fungal diseases.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Rose Chasselas - Grape vine

A very old table grape variety. Flesh is juicy, crisp, very sweet and fragrant.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 4 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Cardinal - Grape vine

A variety introduced to France in 1946, very vigorous but fairly susceptible to disease. Skin is moderately thick and flesh is firm, fleshy and sweet.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

We also offer an astonishing collection of original vines, some of which are registered in the Official Catalogue of ornamental vine varieties. These fabulous varieties produce clusters of fruits with surprisingly distinctive flavours or shapes.

Discover the Fragola Nera vine, also known as the strawberry vine, notable for its grapes with a very pronounced wild strawberry flavour! For more on the Fragola vine, read Michaël’s article!

Vigne Philipp, a recent French variety introduced to the market in 2010, is also worth discovering for its curious, very sweet black berries, whose shape somewhat resembles Lucques olives.

Collection of 2 strawberry grape vines

An astonishing duo of vines whose aromatic, perfumed flavour strongly recalls wild strawberry.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis Fragola Nera - Strawberry vine

An old hybrid variety that produces grapes whose flesh has an aromatic flavour reminiscent of wild strawberry. It is not very susceptible to disease.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 5 m

See the product sheet

Vitis vinifera Philipp - Grape Vine

An original variety, early-ripening and disease-resistant, which grows everywhere and bears unusually shaped, sweet black grapes. It retains attractive foliage throughout the season.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 4 m

See the product sheet

Planting

Where to plant vine-plant?

Originally from Mediterranean basin, grape vine-plant withstands winter cold often down to -20°C and can be planted in many regions.

It prefers hot, dry summers and is vulnerable to spring frosts (flower buds freeze from -2 °C): provide therefore a very sunny, warm exposure sheltered from prevailing cold winds, especially in cool areas to allow good ripening of clusters.

Vine-plant is not demanding regarding soil. It is an undemanding plant that likes well-drained soils and prefers dry, stony, calcareous clay, although it adapts to any good garden soil provided it is well draining. It only dislikes wet soils.

Vine-plant can spread over several metres and needs space and a suitably adapted support to cling to: it is necessary to train it on wires and to trellis it well.

It will be very decorative along a wall, on an arbour, at base of a pergola, in open ground or in a large container on a well-exposed terrace by installing a suitable trellis.

Vine-plant trained on pergola

When to plant vine-plant?

Plant grape vine-plant preferably in autumn or, if not possible, in spring, outside frost periods.

How to plant vine-plant?

Grape vine-plant needs deep, well-drained soil because its roots descend very deeply into soil. Consider planting several varieties with different ripening times to stagger harvests. Space vines 1 m apart.

• Dig a hole 40 cm in all directions
• At bottom of planting hole, spread a layer of gravel to ensure good drainage
• Add a few handfuls of fruit-tree fertiliser and well-rotted compost, mixed with garden soil
• Place young plant leaving graft union visible (plant 3 to 5 cm above soil level)
• Cover with soil, firm down
• Water
• From planting, install support (trellis against a wall, arbour, wires stretched between two stakes, wire mesh…)
• At planting, prune above two buds to encourage development of two shoots and tie most vigorous to a stake

When and how to harvest grapes?

Well trained on a trellis in a warm spot and well pruned, grapevine will quickly provide you with juicy, sweet fruit. Grapes ripen between August (for early harvests) and October (for late varieties) depending on variety and region. They are harvested as they ripen, as needed. Once cut, grapes do not continue to ripen: cut well above the peduncle of the ripe cluster with pruning shear while supporting the cluster with your hand.

Yield depends on many factors: variety, soil type, amount of sunlight and the training system used for the vine: this will range from 5 kg to 20 kg per vine. In cold regions, avoid planting varieties that are too late-ripening, as grapes would not have time to ripen before winter arrives.

Grape harvest

How to store your grapes?

Grapes keep for five days in the vegetable drawer of the fridge; remove 30 minutes before eating to fully enjoy their flavour. To keep grapes fresh through the heart of winter, pick clusters that are petiolate and include a sufficiently long piece of branches. Immerse the end of a woody climbing stem in a container filled with water, changing the water regularly. Place in a cool location (10 to 12°C), in the dark with low humidity, and check the berries: remove any that have rotted.

Benefits and uses of grapes

Grapes are a source of vitamins and minerals. They are a particularly sweet fruit (15 to 18 g per 100 g). They are chiefly known for their diuretic properties and antioxidant powers. Regular consumption may have a positive effect on preventing cardiovascular disease. Fresh grapes are a source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin C, B6, but also potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre and tannic acid (anthocyanins).

Grapes are eaten fresh as table fruit, but also in jam, jelly, as fruit juice, in fruit salads or dried, in baking. They pair wonderfully with cheeses, endives, walnuts, cured ham, and poultry such as quail.

Grape seed oil is extracted from its pips; it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and widely used for grilling and fondues. Fresh leaves can be used to wrap food.

They are, of course, also used to make vinegar or wine, after winemaking.

→ Discover the recipe for grape jam in Ingrid’s tutorial!

Care, pruning and maintenance of grapevines

Grapevine maintenance is important as it determines quality of grape harvest. It needs regular watering for first three years to establish roots well. Once established, it becomes drought-resistant and will not need further watering.

Mulch base of grapevine in summer to prevent weed growth.

It does not require regular fertiliser application, which would favour foliage at expense of fruit; enrich soil with horn meal or iron chelate only every 2–3 years.

Train woody climbing stems as they grow.

In summer, remove leaves that shade fruit from the sun.

Grapevine pruning

Grapevine can quickly become very invasive; pruning is essential to control vigorous growth of this liana, to ensure good grape production and to limit disease.

Vine must be pruned every year because grapes appear on lower parts of current-year shoots. Stems must be renewed each year. Pruning should be carried out at planting, then several times a year in winter and in summer. To reduce disease, avoid large pruning wounds.

Planting pruning

1. Leave only first two buds: expect more vigorous shoots
2. At end of following winter, before bud burst period, keep only strongest shoot, cut back to 2 buds, remove buds at base of vine-plant.

Training pruning

Simplest is to keep a fixed vertical main stem on which secondary branches will be inserted spaced 25–30 cm apart.

To obtain a two-arm cordon, select two opposite buds and train each horizontally as a cordon.

Fruiting pruning

It is carried out each year in late winter, in February–March, before growth resumes but after severe frosts. Distinguish shoots that fruited last year and the so-called replacement woody climbing stems located just below.

1. Remove shoots that fruited last year
2. Eliminate weak, sterile, poorly placed shoots or those too close to ground
3. Shorten replacement woody climbing stems above 2nd, 3rd or 4th bud depending on variety
4. Remove excess buds on young shoots

Fruiting pruning in late winter

Green pruning

This is a pruning in form of de-budding intended to improve yield; it is carried out in May–June:

1. Remove “suckers” that grow in leaf axils and remove superfluous foliage along the vine-plant
2. Pinch woody climbing stems two leaves beyond clusters
3. Pinch shoots leaving only one leaf
4. Remove smallest grape clusters
5. Cut all fruitless branches to 50 cm

Restoration pruning

It is perfectly possible to rejuvenate an old vine-plant by cutting it back severely at end of winter; new shoots will reappear on old wood.

All Ingrid’s tips on grapevine pruning are on our blog !

Grapevine diseases and pests

Grapevine is unfortunately susceptible to many fungal diseases, particularly downy mildew and powdery mildew.

Against downy mildew, spray, as a preventive measure, Bordeaux mixture, sulphur or horsetail manure. Reapply if the weather is wet. Against powdery mildew, visible as a white felt on the leaves, apply sulphur sprays from flowering onwards and regularly. In any case, we recommend using products from organic farming compatible with eco-friendly gardening to obtain chemical-free grapes and choosing varieties less susceptible to disease such as Ampelia® vines, highly resistant to fungal diseases and which require few or no treatments. Since the phylloxera attack in 1863, a sap-sucking insect (a parasitic louse) that decimated French and European vineyards, rootstocks from more resistant American grape varieties have been developed.

Grey mould and bunch-rolling tortrix caterpillars are other enemies of the grapevine.

When and how to propagate grapevine by cuttings When to take cuttings - Hardwood cuttings (dormant wood): Best taken in late autumn to late winter while vine is fully dormant, ideally before bud burst (December–March in UK/Ireland). These are most reliable for grafted varieties and rootstock propagation. - Softwood/green cuttings: Can be taken in late spring to early summer from current season’s growth once shoots are semi-ripe. Root faster but are more delicate. - Layering: Useful any time from spring to early summer for established vines — an alternative if cuttings fail. Selecting material - Choose healthy, disease-free wood from previous season’s growth (Vitis vinifera or your cultivar). - For hardwood cuttings: select one-year-old shoots about pencil-thick (8–15 mm diameter). - For softwood cuttings: select flexible, vigorous young shoots. Preparing hardwood cuttings (step-by-step) 1. Cut lengths of 20–30 cm with 4–6 buds. Make a clean bottom cut just below a bud, top cut just above a bud. 2. Remove any very small side shoots and make sure base is clearly identified (cuttings must be planted base down). 3. Optionally dip basal end in rooting hormone powder for better success. 4. Plant two-thirds of the cutting’s length vertically in free-draining medium (open compost mixed with sharp sand or perlite), leaving at least 2–3 buds above the soil. 5. Keep outdoors in cold frame or sheltered trench, or in pots placed outside; protect from frost and from waterlogging. 6. Roots form slowly — expect rooting over weeks to months. Plant out next spring when growth resumes. Preparing softwood cuttings (step-by-step) 1. Take 8–15 cm long tips from semi-ripe shoots, cutting just below a node. 2. Remove lower leaves leaving 1–2 leaves at tip; trim large leaves to reduce transpiration. 3. Dip basal end in rooting hormone (recommended). 4. Insert into moist, well-draining propagation mix (50:50 peat/compost and perlite or horticultural grit). 5. Maintain high humidity (propagation box, clear bag or misting) and bright, indirect light; avoid hot direct sun. 6. Ideal temperature 18–24°C. Keep compost barely moist. 7. Roots often form in 3–6 weeks; pot on gradually before planting out. Planting and aftercare - Harden off rooted cuttings gradually to outdoor conditions over 1–2 weeks. - Plant into well-drained soil in sunny position with support for training. - Protect young plants from late frost and water regularly until established. - First winter, protect crown in colder sites and avoid heavy pruning; in second year, begin training and formative pruning. Practical tips to improve success - Use sharp, clean tools to prevent crushing and disease. - Label varieties and date of cutting. - Take several cuttings — success rate varies. - Keep cuttings shaded and ventilated to reduce mould; avoid waterlogged conditions. - If available, use bottom heat for softwood cuttings to speed rooting. Common problems - Rot and mould: caused by poor drainage or stagnant humidity—improve ventilation and use fresh medium. - Cutting dries out: maintain humidity and reduce leaf area. - No rooting: try stronger rooting hormone, change cutting type (hardwood vs softwood) or take wood from a different part of the vine. In short: for most home gardeners, hardwood cuttings in late winter give reliable results and are low maintenance; softwood cuttings in early summer root faster but need more care. With clean material, proper medium, and patience, propagating grapevine from cuttings is an inexpensive and satisfying way to multiply vines.

Propagation by cuttings of grapevine is the simplest method for amateur gardeners.

1. In March–April, cut 20 to 25 cm lengths, with two to three leaf nodes
2. Remove lower leaves from base of the shoot
3. Plant the cuttings, burying two-thirds of their length in a compound mix of equal parts potting compost and sand
4. Keep moist until roots form
5. Replant once sufficiently rooted