How to Grow Grape Vines for Wine

Select a site that receives full sun for at least eight hours. Plant grapes in spring and on south sides of fences, trellises, hillsides and slopes for maximum sun exposure and earliest harvest. Grapes planted on northward-facing slopes will ripen later in the season.

Select varieties that ripen during your growing season. Grapes mature early, mid or late season depending on the variety, climate and site location. Grapes used to make wine need a longer time to ripen before harvesting, so select a variety accordingly. Check with your local garden center for the best grape vines to grow in your area.

Plant grape vines in well-drained soil and keep away from low-lying areas where roots are exposed to standing water. Low-lying areas are also more prone to early or late frost that may kill newly formed buds or hinder the ripening process. Improve clay soil with compost or a topsoil, manure and peat mixture.

Build a trellis with galvanized steel wire attached to wood or iron posts set at least 8 feet apart. Trellises should be 3 to 8 feet high depending on the variety and local climate. Typically, grape trellises are shorter in cold-weather climates for easier winter pruning and preparation.

Space grape vines approximately 6 to 7 feet apart and plant rows 8 to 9 feet apart. These distances will vary depending on the variety, so check plant labels for exact measurements.

Dig a hole the same depth as the container. Trim long roots back to about 8 inches. Prune off all but one cane; prune the remaining cane back to two to four buds. This cane will serve as the main trunk. Set the plant in the hole and spread out roots. Add soil, tamping down as you go to remove air pockets. Water.

Tie the main shoot around a trellis post. Allow one or two canes from each side of the trunk to grow and form the arms of the vine. Cut off all other shoots. The following season, allow new shoots to grow and train around wire. Rearrange as canes grow.

Prune grape vines to keep them from becoming unruly and to allow maximum sunlight to reach the fruit. Prune when grape vines are dormant and after the coldest part of winter. One-year-old canes produce the grapes, so make sure to prune before the branches start to leaf out.

Cultivate soil regularly to remove weeds, especially when grape vines are young. Young grape vines have shallow roots and will compete with surrounding vegetation for water. Use a hoe or shovel and loosen soil no more than 3 inches deep to avoid injury to roots.

Taste-test grapes or buy a hydrometer from a wine-making supply shop to determine when grapes are ready to harvest. A hydrometer measures the liquid density and sugar content in the fruit, which will determine the alcohol content in the finished product.