Wine grape growing
Every wine guide in grape growing — 13 in all. Read the overviews for free; the deeper material comes with a subscription.
Anatomy of the Vine
A study guide to the grapevine — its parts and what each one does, why the vine fruits only on one-year-old wood, cane vs spur winter pruning, and the hidden work of the roots.
Read guide →Climate & Weather
A study guide to wine climate — the difference between climate and weather, the cool-to-hot temperature bands, and the three great climate types (continental, maritime, Mediterranean).
Read guide →Crossings & Hybrids
A study guide to how new grapes are born — crossing two varieties of the same species vs hybridising across species, the famous examples from Cabernet Sauvignon to Vidal, and why so few succeed.
Read guide →Heat & Temperature
A study guide to warmth in the vineyard — why temperature decides what grows where, the factors (latitude, altitude, currents, aspect, diurnal range) that shift a site hotter or cooler, and the hazards of frost and heat.
Read guide →Pests & Disease
A study guide to the vineyard's above-ground threats — birds, mammals, mites and moths, and the fungal diseases downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey rot, plus IPM, spraying and canopy defence.
Read guide →Phylloxera & Nematodes
A study guide to the vine's deadliest enemies — the root louse phylloxera that nearly ended European wine, the nematodes that spread its viruses, and why the cure was American roots.
Read guide →Rootstocks & Grafting
A study guide to the graft that saved wine — why nearly every vine is a fruiting top joined to American-derived roots, how rootstocks solve phylloxera, nematodes and drought, and bench vs head grafting.
Read guide →Soil
A study guide to vineyard soil — the terroir idea, the layers under the vine, how sand, clay and loam store water, and why poor, low-nutrient soils make the best wine.
Read guide →Species, Propagation & Clones
A study guide to where vines come from — the one wine species Vitis vinifera, the American species behind rootstocks, why vines are cloned not seeded, and how mutation gives clones like the Pinot family.
Read guide →Sunlight
A study guide to sunlight in the vineyard — why light powers the photosynthesis that ripens grapes, how latitude, aspect, cloud and reflection change it, and the sunburn hazard of too much.
Read guide →The Growing Cycle
A study guide to the vine's year — dormancy, budburst, flowering and fruit set, véraison and ripening, and harvest, the hazards at each stage, and how a vintage is made one turn of the clock at a time.
Read guide →Viticultural Practices
A study guide to how growers farm — the spectrum from conventional through sustainable and organic to biodynamic, what each allows, and how it connects to natural wine.
Read guide →Water & Irrigation
A study guide to water in the vineyard — why the vine needs it and how much, rainfall vs the three irrigation methods, the harm of drought and of excess water, and the hail hazard.
Read guide →