Vitis vinifera ‘Chardonnay’ is a classic grapevine with small, golden grapes that taste sweet when fully ripe. You can grow it outdoors in a warm spot, or train it inside a greenhouse for extra reliability. It suits you if you want fruit you can eat straight from the vine, plus the option to use your harvest for home winemaking. Expect grapes to ripen in late summer to early autumn in the UK. Give the plant the right conditions, and you can pick a satisfying crop year after year.

Other common names include grapevine, wine grape, common grapevine, and dessert grape when you grow it for eating.

Why you will like it in your garden

• Dual purpose, grow it for dessert grapes, or for wine making.
• Great use of space, train it on a wall, pergola, arch, or wire frame.
• Seasonal routine you can stick to: prune in winter, tie in growth in spring, harvest in late summer or early autumn.
• Reliable reward, healthy vines can give good yields once established.

Benefits for UK wildlife

This vine can support garden wildlife in simple ways. Its flowers provide pollen for small insects. Its leafy growth creates cover for invertebrates and shelter on hot days. If you leave a few grapes after harvest, birds may take the leftovers later in the season. Train it along a fence or trellis, and you also create a living corridor that small insects can move through.

Height and spread

• Height, up to 10 m when trained, you control the final size with pruning.
• Spread, up to 4 m, depending on support and training style.

Optimal growing conditions in the UK

• Sun, full sun for best ripening, aim for 6 to 8 hours a day.
• Shelter, choose a warm, protected spot; a south or south-west facing wall works well.
• Soil, well drained soil is key; improve heavy clay with grit and organic matter.
• Water, keep young vines watered in dry spells, established vines cope better but still benefit during long dry periods.
• Support, use wires, trellis, or a pergola, and tie in new shoots as they grow.
• The greenhouse option gives you extra warmth and can improve ripening in cooler areas.

Practical care and harvest tips

• Prune in winter to shape the vine and keep fruiting spurs productive.
• In summer, remove some leaves around grape clusters to improve airflow and sun exposure.
• Pick when grapes taste sweet, and the colour has turned a clear golden yellow.
• Harvest timing is usually late summer to early autumn, weather and site make the difference.