Vitis vinifera, the grape vine can flourish in the UK and will produce grapes from a fairly young age given the right conditions. A good summer helps but for the full ripening of the grapes the vines require sunny south or west facing position in free-draining soil. Grape vines are very hardy and can be trained to create a leafy arbor or simply against a fence. Either way we have selected two particularly good varieties which produce either red or white grapes.