The Production of Grapes & Wine in Cool Climates (ISBN 0909049173)

A gem for the new grapegrower:
As a complete beginner to viticulture I have found this book absolutely invaluable. It covers all aspects of cool-climate grapegrowing in a readable and accessible manner, with clear text and diagrams concerning site and variety selection, planting, establishment, pruning and training, pests and diseases, and winemaking. The section on grape varieties has excellent photographs, and a superb introduction gives an overview of the cooler grape-producing regions of the world. Written in New Zealand, this is however a "must" for all new grapegrowers, no matter where the "terroir". My copy is starting to show signs of over-use!

Cool Climate Reference:
This is a very good reference book for growing grapes in cool climate regions. The section on the geopgraphical analysis of grape growing introduces the concept of LTI (latitude temperature index) which is another useful metric to compare climates. Soils and climates are tied together in the analysis. The diagrams on training and pruning are very well done. This is one of the few books that references the Sylvoz training method. The chapter on grape varieties has excellent color photographs with variety specific details. The one detail missing which can be crucial in some cool climate areas is some measure of winter hardiness (such as the 50% or 100% bud loss number). There is also good coverage of some of the more obscure cool climate varieties as well as rootstock characteristics.