Chapter 1
Cold Climate Grapes and Wines: People and Places

The myth that grapes cannot be grown and fine wine cannot be produced beyond the northern reaches of the traditional winemaking world is challenged. Case studies illustrate current successful viticulture and winemaking efforts in the extreme climatic regions of Minnesota, Quebec, Latvia, and Belarus.

Chapter 2
The Vine and Winter Cold

Why do my vines injure in some winters and not in others? This chapter provides a practical explanation of the physiological process of vine acclimation to cold and deacclimation to warm temperatures. It includes a discussion of weather conditions that affect cold hardiness and species differences in hardiness. A tutorial shows how to recognize winter injury to grapevines and how to heal winter-injured vines. Eight color plates illustrate classic winter injury symptoms.

Chapter 3
Grape Varieties for Northern Viticulture

There are 16,000 different grape varieties documented in the literature. We note 34 varieties that are of special interest to winegrowers in northern regions because of their winter hardiness, their earliness of ripening, or their ability to set fruit in cold, wet weather. Based on extensive data collected personally and from research centers around the world, it provides much information never before offered in book form.

Chapter 4
Fostering Vine Winter Survival

Detailed instructions on winter protection of grapevines are presented here, based on experiences from all over the northern grapegrowing world. Temperature-modifying effects of vineyard ground covers and the potential of super-hardy rootstocks to enhance the hardiness of grapevines are discussed.