How long is your growing season (# of days with a daily mean ave. temp of 50F+ [10C])?
This is critical because grapes need a growing season of from 130 – 200 days. Once you know the number of growing days for your site, you can choose a cultivar which will be able to appropriately ripen in your climate. For example, Foch needs a growing season of only about 140 days, while Cabernet Sauvignon needs a growing season of over 180 days. Finally; keep in mind that wine quality is maximized when a cultivar ripens its grapes near the end of the vineyard’s growing season (with a period of about 2 weeks after harvest for hardening-off before the frosts).
