From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine

This is an excellent introduction to the topics of growing grapes or winemaker hobbyist. Cox does an admirable job of providing enough information and tips for the backyard grapegrower or basement/garage winemaker. Other books may go into more detail but this is a comprehensive overview that encompasses each aspect of growing and winemaking.As a wine enthusiast, I have given thought (more than once) to learning more about the complete wine-making process. Reading this book has given me just enough confidence to try this as a backyard/basement hobbyist. It's not that I believe I can grow and make world-class wine -- rather, I expect to be able to appreciate the effort that goes into making a world-class wine. And, with any luck, I'll be able to make something worth drinking. The sections of the book on choosing grapes appropriate to your region, growing and training tips, fermentation, aging, bottling are all clearly written. The supply sources listed in the back are comprehensive enough to be able to find the basics. All in all, a very solid effort.

The new revision is an excellent book for anyone putting in a new vineyard, or thinking about winemaking. The two most certainly go hand in hand, however, if you are just interested in improving your knowledge of growing grapes, then it provides much very usefull information. On the other hand, if you are a new or aspiring winemaker, the section on making wine is filled with up to date, smart information, and can also be a stand alone reference to winemaking. By combining the two related fields, grape growing (specifically for winegrapes), and winemaking the winemaker will better understand what he should be looking for in winegrapes for his resulting wine. Conversely, the grape grower will have an understanding of how to grow his grapes to achieve the best possible product for the winemaker. If you are a grower of French Hybrid grapes, or the newer selection of American crosses from Elmer Swenson, David MacGregor, the University of Minnesota, New York Experiment Station named and numbered varieties, et al, then you do NOT want to pass up this book. A.J. Winkler's book "General Viticulture" is a bit outdated and a good revision would help... this one is right on the money.

Jeff Cox does what so few writers can do; he makes viticulture so interesting that you won't want to put this book down. That's saying a lot!The whole book is a masterful handbook for the home or small commercial grower. From selecting the vines and a growing site to planting, growing, pruning, and harvesting to making wine, Cox literally packs the pages with useful information, tables and how-to illustrations. Even his appendix on grape pests and their control is written as a trouble-shooting guide based on symptoms rather than cause. This is both refreshing and useful.If you can only buy one book on the subject, this is the one to buy.

With enthusiasm and clarity, the author leads his readers, from the amateur to the accomplished winemaker, in his or her quest for flawless grapes and extraordinary wine. The process is not as daunting as it may seem. What matters most is finding the grape that gives wine you like and which thrives and ripens (consistently) in your climate. The author goes on to describe vineyard siting, soil preparation, culture, pruning, trellising, and pest control.The second half of the book thoroughly describes the wine-making process: from crushing the grapes and pressing, to primary and secondary fermentations, racking, bottling, corking, cellaring, and evaluating the finished product.This book will appeal to the person with a serious desire to grow grapes and make wine, the aspiring wine-making entrepreneur, the home gardener interested in the culture of grapes, the wine connoisseur, and the casual hobbyist. No matter what level of invlovement you want to have in the wine-making process, "From Vines to Wines" will satisfy your needs and curiosity.

My family is in the process of starting a small vineyard and winery. Jeff's book was not only fun and easy to read, it has provided valuable information. I can recommend the book without reservation to anyone interested in growing grapes and making wine.