On Sun, 11 Jan 2004, Chris Boulby wrote:

I hear what you are saying Alan, and I fully agree that you will get a
poor crop if they are not grown under glass in many parts of the UK,
but it is the lack of summer sunshine and heat rather than winter cold
and damp that prevents them from doing well. Are there any known to be
tender in this regard?

Frosts won't kill the vine but late frosts can kill the flower trusses
and then you can say goodbye to the crop for that year. Although the
vine will grow new shoots, either they won't have any more flower
trusses on the new shoots or, if they do, the ensuing grapes won't ripen
until too late in our climate.

However my experience is that any vine growing outside against a wall is
usually well-enough protected from frost. I have never lost any grapes
from frost in that situation.

There are ways that viticulturists have of protecting their vines
against frost. In the Chablis region they have a small "night-light"
type of candle underneath the vines when frost is predicted!

But, to answer the point that Chris made above, there are very many
types of vine available now bred especially for our climate which will
grow and produce a good harvest in the open up as far as the Midlands in
all but the very worst summers. Many will even do well in the North of
England.

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