The Best Grape Vines for Texas Soil

Muscadine Grapes

• Breeding efforts during the last 35 years have greatly improved the size, taste and quality of the muscadine grape vine. Many soils in Texas have a neutral or slightly acid pH that muscadines prefer, but they do well in most any soil. Vines produce up to 50 lbs. of fruit provided they have good drainage and full sun. The muscadine vines require very little care and thrive in the hot and humid Texas climate. Black Beauty, Supreme, Darlene and Early Fry are female varieties that have large berries and are great eaten fresh. Top varieties for making wine are Tara, Magnolia and Carlos. Tara, Cowart and Isons are male varieties that produce good-quality fruit and make excellent pollinators, according to Texas Gardener Magazine.

Flame

• This Vitis Vinifera variety of grapes has many cultivars that account for 99 percent of the grapes grown for wine around the world. The Flame cultivar is popular in Texas. This seedless grape is a deciduous vine used for wine, fruit and arbors. This vine prefers sandy loam to clay loam soils, and grows from 10 to 20 feet high and will grow that much in a year. People use these vines for quick cover on arbors. When well cared for this vine will produce pink to red, crisp, sweet fruits for up to 50 years. Plant Flame in full sun and provide good drainage along with regular winter pruning.

Champanel Variety

• This variety is adapted to the soils and climate of east and south Texas and also grows well in clay soils. It is an extremely vigorous vine that produces large, black grapes in small clusters. These berries make red jellies. This variety is resistant to black rot, Pierce's disease, downy mildew, anthracnose and powdery mildew. It is an excellent choice for making grape arbors.

Native Varieties

• Of the 21 species of native grapes in North America, 15 of them grow in Texas. The most abundant variety is the Vitis mustangensis and is native to the eastern, central and southern areas of Texas. Vitis rotundifolia are common to the acid soils of eastern Texas. Vitis cinerea var. helleri, and  vitis monticola prefer the high pH soils of central Texas hill country.