Grapes in a Desert Garden

Want to make your own wine? Start a winery? Grow grapes for fun and profit?

Basically, if you’re going to grow grapes in most of the desert southwest, there are three main species that you should be looking at.

European (California) varieties are not winter hardy and will do well only in lower, more temperate elevations.

There are some cold-tolerant American varieties, but some of these do not do well in alkaline soil and become chlorotic.

French hybrids fall somewhere in the middle.

Here are some suggested varieties:

European Table varieties

1. Thompson Seedless
2. Black Monukka (seedless)
3. White Malaga
4. Red Malaga
5. Cardinal
6. Gold
7. Thomascat (seedless)
8. Queen

Wine varieties include:

1. Zinfandel
2. Grenache
3. Emerald Rising
4. French Colombard
5. Palomino

American varieties:

1. Golden Muscat
2. Niagra
3. Fredonia
4. Westfield

French Hybrids

1. Vidal Blanc
2. Rougeon
3. Chancellor
4. Cascade
5. Baco Noir