When it comes to varieties of wine grapes for growing, it would take an enormous  amount of time. So, let’s look at just a few of the most popular.

Black Spanish Southern Wine Grapes:  This grape is juicy with a blackish-blue skin. This grape is good for making juice, jelly or wine. The vine is a great producer that is resistant to Pierce Disease and mildew. This grape is more suited for hot climates. The wine is similar to a Merlot or Cabernet wine. The grapes usually ripen in August to September

Blanc du Bois Wine Grapes: This grape is best suited for hot climates. This is an award-winning cultivar that makes excellent premium white wine. This grape is very resistant to Pierce disease.

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Grapes: This grape is a small, round black renowned red wine producer. The fruit ripens in late September to October and can be grown in fairly cold to hot climates (not cold).

Champagne Wine Grape:  This is a tiny grape also known as Black Corinth. The plant is suited mostly for hot climates.

Champanel Wine Grape: This grape can be used as a table grape or a wine grape. The plant is suited mostly for hot humid climates. The plant is resistant to heat and drought and also resistant to Pierce disease. This vine produces large, loose clusters of grapes. The fruit usually ripens in early July.

Chardonnay Wine Grapes: This vine produces a small round grape with a green skin. This grape is primarily used for making white wine. The fruit is usually harvested in late September through early October. This plant will grow in cold to hot climates.

Pinot Noir Wine Grape: This grape is a variety of the famous Burgandy wine region in Northern France.  Some growers say the vine is finicky to grow. This vine grows best in cool to hot climates.

Sauvignon Blanc Wine Grape: This variety is used to make quality white table wines. The fruit is small, well formed in compact clusters and has a greenish color. This grape may produce a natural sweet wine. The plant ripens in mid-August to early September and likes cool to hot climates.

Merlot Wine Grape:  The fruit grows in medium to large cluster. The grapes are medium sized, round bluish-black and ripens in late September to early October. This grape prefers cool to hot climates.

Pinot Gris Wine Grapes: This grape makes a low acid, white wine of exceptional color and taste. The flavor has been described as having a pear and spice cake flavor. The vine is also known as the Pinot Grigio which is thought to be a clone of the Pinot Noir. The fruit is a deep yellow to a copper color. The flavor will depend on the region it is grown in. The vines prefer  cool to hot tempetures.

Zinfandel Wine Grape:  The plant produces a purple to black colored grape. The fruit is juicy and medium size with a round shape. The grapes ripen in August and grow well in cool to hot climates.

This is just eleven of thousands of grape varieties. Therefore, you should check with the agriculture department in your area to find out what type of grape will grow best in your climate.

Happy grape growing,

S. S. Barnett

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