Phoenix Grape Vine Options
Option 1 : 30cm-45cm tall. The seasons slow starters.
Option 2 : 60-150cm tall. The best the season has to offer.
Option 3 : 150-200cm tall. Usually a season older than Option 1 and 2.
The Phoenix outdoor grape produces a large densely packed berry that give a fine Muscat aroma from the heavy crop it produces. Large leaves and great Autumn colour also makes it useful for decorative use in the garden. Compared to other grapes it is considered quite hardy meaning it will tolerate the cold better than other grapes. Considered to be self-fertile i.e. no need for a pollination partner.
Phoenix grapes are popular with wine makers, juicers and those wanting to eat as dessert grape. Organic gardeners like the Phoenix grape because it has high disease resistance and therefore much less need for chemicals.
The grapes turn yellow and ripen in early October. You can always test ripeness by giving a few berries to the neighbours kids and if they don't pull a "suck face" then you are probably very close or spot on to ripeness.
Originally bred in Germany in the 1960's so the Phoenix is probably is a good place to ask engineering advice if ever you learn to speak grape. Its parentage is Bacchus x Villard Blanc.
The characteristics of the Phoenix make it particularly suitable for the UK climate and will grow in most soils except waterlogged, submarine window boxes, active army ranges and my ex-wife's garden (she sucks the life out of everything).
Expect an untrained Phoenix grape vine to reach around 6m tall.
See What Our Customers Are Saying About Our Phoenix Outdoor White Grape Vines.
Dear Alan, I'm please to say the 3 Phoenix vines have been delivered safe and sound. Thank you. Best wishes, Derek 0913
Hello, Yup got the Phoenix grapes, cedar, pine n roses ! Thank you very much. Happy with them. Can't wait to see em growing. All the best Dr Ana Christensen DVM, PhD 0613
General Vine Information
During Winter most vines do a very good impression of looking dead. We don't mean they have arranged their own memorial and headstone but that the branches look very dry and beyond sprouting new growth. One nursery owner even put a new batch of vines on the compost heap thinking he had been conned, only to find them throwing out new growth some time later. If Spring is unusual weather wise, then it can be up to late June before you see any new growth and a hard winter can also effect your crop and die back is normal. Using agricultural fleece might help.
All vines are at least 2 years old and grafted onto a root stock that will be 3 years old. This is to improve vigour (growth and fruit production). The vines are pruned back several times a year and can easily put on several metres of growth in a season. They might fruit in the first year, local conditions allowing, certainly the second.
Seedless grapes will take longer to get started and you may have to wait until the second or third season for a full flush of fruit.
Bred to be Phylloxera resistant.
Vines will last 100's of years if looked after and outdoor vines can be successfully grown outdoors as far North as Yorkshire (depending on weather conditions).Indoor grapes have been grown in a Greenhouse in Aberdeenshire.
Give them as much sun as possible, keep ventilated and humidity down. This applies to indoor and outdoor grapes.
Despite your best efforts, you will most likely encounter a Grape vine issue at some point, especially with global warming giving us wetter summers. As little as a week of continued warm and wet weather is enough for those little fungus monsters to get in and wreak havoc. The three you are most likely to encounter are downy mildew, powdery mildew, and grey mould.
Your best action is preventative. Keep the site moisture levels down. Water the base, not the leaves. Keep the leaves spread out to allow light and air in to dry them out. Vines under glass need to be well ventilated. Consider heating the greenhouse for long periods of cloudy weather to keep humidity down.
If you do get it, remove the affected leaves and destroy.
Freezing Grapes
With temperatures going through the roof, cool and healthy Summer snacks will be in demand. First, remove grapes from the stem, place in a colander and rinse off. Dry the grapes and place on a baking tray covered in wax paper. Place in the freezer and when solid put into a plastic sealed bag ready for next years sweat-fest.
Other Grape Vines To Look At
| Autumn Royal | Seedless, thin skin when ripe, juicy and larger grapes compared to other seedless varieties. | Indoor | Black |
| Bacchus | Considered the best white wine variety for the UK. | Outdoor | White |
| Black Hamburg | A reliable and excellent quality sweetwater type producing large bunches of high quality dessert grapes. Very popular. | Indoor | Black |
| Boskoop Glory | Award, reliable and disease resistant. Good for beginners. | Indoor | Black |
| Brandt | Grown mainly for its spectacular autumn leaf colour but still a respectable red wine grape | Outdoor | Red |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | Small black grapes for wine, self fertile and disease resistant. | Indoor | Black |
| Chardonnay | Eating and wine making, sweet vigorous grape. | Indoor/Outdoor | White |
| Chasselas Doré De Fontainebleau | Eating and wine making, very sweet. | Indoor/Outdoor | White |
| Chenin Blanc | Ideal UK dry wine making grape. | Indoor | White |
| Crimson Seedless | Heavy crops that set later than average. A very popular variety. | Outdoor | Red |
| Flame | Heavy crops, fast growing, seedless, very popular, desert grape | Indoor/Outdoor | Red |
| Dornfelder | A good hardy red grape combining heavy crops of very edible grapes as well as having stunning autumn leaf colour. Pick Sept-Oct. | Outdoor | Red |
| Gamay | Makes fruity red wine or fruit juice. | Indoor | Black |
| Lakemont Seedless | Big sets of yellow oval fruit with muscat flavour. Thin bunches for larger fruit if needed. Resistant to mildew/downy mildew. (USA, 1972) | Outdoor | White |
| Muscat Alexandria | Second early white Muscat of high quality producing large succulent dessert grapes. | Indoor | White |
| Muscat Artonel | A strong Muscat variety. | Indoor | White |
| Muscat Bleu | This is the modern mildew resistant outdoor blue/black eating grape of choice. | Outdoor | Blue/Black |
| Orion | Disease, frost and drought resistant and heavy crops. Good for poor conditions. | Outdoor | White |
| Perlette | Large crops of large seedless grapes that are very crunchy. | Outdoor | White |
| Phoenix | A large berry producing a fine Muscat aroma.Heavy yielding, ripening early October turning yellow when ready to pick. Dessert and wine. | Outdoor | White |
| Polo Muscat | Good quality hybrid table/ wine grape. Slight Muscat aroma with balanced sweet and acidity. High yields of early ripening yellow-green fruit.Pick Sept. | Outdoor | White |
| Regent | Large blue-black grape matures to a true black in good summers, sweet refreshing flavour. Red leaves adding value as a climbing shrub. | Outdoor | Blue/Black |
| Strawberry | Intense rich flavour with a strong hint of strawberry, very productive and easy to grow. Pick and eat in late Sept. | Outdoor | Golden Bronze |
| Superior Seedless | Obviously seedless and great for eating as considered very sweet. | Outdoor | White |
| Vanessa | Seedless, suitable for North UK and very popular. | Outdoor | Red |
| Vroege van der Laan | Very disease resistant, suuitable for North UK and good for the beginner. | Outdoor | White |
