From Vines to Wines

by Jeff Cox

I purchased this book because I was looking for a reference for growing grapes.

Jeff Cox has written a comprehensive analysis of of growing grapes and producing wine.  The book met all my requirements and provided even more information.

I’m not an expert–I’ve managed only a few vines in the past.  I need a book like this to have a chance of success with my vineyard.

The illustrations are very good.  For example, there’s a picture of the “geneva double curtain” trellis that clears up some questions I had.

Jeff does a really good job of showing you how to calculate how much room you’ll need to grow grapes, outputs and more.  I do think his numbers are optimistic for some parts of the country.  I’ll be very happy if my vineyard averages 8 lbs per vine.  If it does, it will probably be the high number.  Jeff estimates 8-11 lbs.  That would be glorious!

There’s a lot more to tell about this book.  There’s history and science and you can tell that the subject is the author’s passion.

I rank this book as a “must have” for my shelf.  Part of the ranking is my lack of expertise in the subject.  Vines to Wines is what I was looking for and more.

I bought this book at Barnes & Noble.  You can find it at a better price point at Amazon.

–JS