Are grapevines hardy?

[Snadger]

I have two grapevines indoors and one in a pot in a greenhouse which had the glass blown out last November!
I have now demolished the greenhouse but was suprised to see new shoots forming on the vine? If they are completely hardy I will plant it outside and use it as a decorative screen as I'm not bothered about getting fruit from it.

What I don't want to do is plant it out only for it to die next winter!

[rustylady]

Yes, Snadger they are hardy. Think of all those vineyards in France and elsewhere. They get frost too. I had a wonderful vine several years ago. The root was outside the greenhouse but the stem had been led inside and the b***** thing took over. They grow well outside. As well as a decorative screen you may well get grapes. Then you can make your own plonk.

[TonyF]

As RustyLady says, they surely are. The wine grape vine over our terrace gets very cold in the winter, for the past three years at least -8, we leave it because it's about 20 years old, cut it back hard in February (when many domestic vines here are pruned) and every years it gives us masses of fruit and very thick cover to sit under.

Our new grapes on the fruit tunnel have been out all winter and are covered in sprouts already.

[mrs dog]

There is a grape growing all over the place on a very derelict plot near me. Also the sparkling wine that came out tops the other year wasn't French champers but an English sparkling I haven't tried it as it is way outside my budget but it made me feel good when I saw the article.

[pigletwillie]

Two of our grape vines are outside and they take the cold well.

Just make sure its feet dont sit in water over winter as that can be a real killer. Give it some good drainage.