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Fruit Edible

Vitis vinifera 'Cabernet Sauvignon' (O/B)

grape 'Cabernet Sauvignon'

A disease-resistant grape vine for outdoor or greenhouse cultivation, producing the classic claret wine of Bordeaux. Fairly small dark purple-black grapes produce a rich, intense flavour with a hint of blackcurrant and can be used for wine-making or juices. The grapes ripen in late summer or early autumn and produce high yields of fruit

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Vitaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Potentially harmful: Pets (dogs): Harmful if eaten whether fruits are edible or ornamental - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Vitis are vigorous deciduous climbing shrubs with tendrils and attractively lobed leaves, insignificant green flowers followed by often edible fruits; some have excellent autumn foliage colour
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained, ideally neutral, soil, mulching with well-rotted compost or manure in late winter and training as required. Ideally grow in a greenhouse; see indoor grape cultivation. If grown outdoors it needs a warm, sunny position; see outdoor grape cultivation.

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings, or grafting onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
City and courtyard gardens
Conservatory and greenhouse
Edible fruit
Climber and wall shrubs
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning is required to encourage flowering and fruiting, and to increase air circulation and so reduce the risk of disease: see grape pruning and training

Pests

May be susceptible to grapevine blister mite, glasshouse red spider mite, brown scale, woolly vine scale and spotted wing drosophila (fruit fly) and may be susceptible to mealybugs under glass

Diseases

May be susceptible to Powdery mildews, grey moulds, honey fungus and virus diseases. For further advice see grapevine diseases

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