"Viticulture" is an introduction to the
professional world of growing grapes for wine production and is aimed at students
in the wine trade, those studying for the WSET Diploma or Master of Wine
candidates. It is also aimed at anybody considering
owning or planting a vineyard who wants a basic primer to the subject. It
is written in an easy-to-read style, arranged in fourteen relatively short
chapters and illustrated with over 100 photographs and charts. It covers every
aspect of viticulture, starting with a chapter on vine physiology, continuing
via varieties and rootstocks, vineyard establishment, and the annual cycle in
the vineyard and ending with pests, diseases and vine nutrition. The book is
all you need to know about grapegrowing in 175 pages. Since it was first
published in 2007 has sold over 25,000 copies all around the world and has been
translated into Japanese and Chinese. The 3rd Edition, published in 2026,
has been updated to take account of modern developments in vine growing with
sections on regenerative viticulture, sustainable agriculture and modern PIWI
hybrids.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 - The grapevine
Chapter 2 - Vine varieties, clones, new varieties and vine
production
Chapter 3 - Site selection
Chapter 4 - Grapegrowing regions of the world
Chapter 5 - Soils for vineyards
Chapter 6 - Vineyard establishment
Chapter 7 - Trellising, training and pruning
Chapter 8 - The annual cycle of the vine
Chapter 9 - Irrigation
Chapter 10 - Organic and Biodynamic viticulture
Chapter 11 - Diseases and viruses of grapevines, including
trunk diseases
Chapter 12 - Pests of grapevines
Chapter 13 - Phylloxera and rootstocks
Chapter 14 - Nutritional disorders and other viticultural
problems
About the Author :
Stephen Skelton MW
Master of Wine – Viticultural Consultant
Stephen Skelton has been
involved with growing vines and making wine since 1975. He spent two years in
Germany, working at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau and studying at
Geisenheim, the world-renowned winegrowing and winemaking college, with the
late Professor Helmut Becker. In 1977 he returned to the UK to establish the
vineyards at Tenterden in Kent (now the home of the UK’s largest wine producer,
Chapel Down Wines) and made wine there for 22 consecutive vintages. From 1988
to 1991 he was also winemaker and general manager at Lamberhurst Vineyards, at
that time the largest winery in the UK. He now works as a consultant to
vineyards and wineries in the UK and is currently setting up vineyards for the
production of both still and sparkling wine. His latest and largest project to
date has been with Taittinger’s Domaine Evremond in Kent where he found the
land for them and laid out and planted all 60-ha of vines currently planted.
In 1986 Stephen started writing
and lecturing about wine and has contributed articles to many different
publications. In 1989 he wrote (and published) his first book, The Vineyards
of England and in 2001 his second, The Wines of Britain and Ireland
(Faber and Faber) which won the André Simon Award for Drinks Book of the Year. This
was followed by three editions of the UK Vineyards Guide (2008, 2010 and
2016), Vine Varieties, Clones and Rootstocks for UK Vineyards (2014 and
2020) and Wine Growing in Great Britain (2014 and 2020). His
latest book is The Wines of Great Britain (2019), one of the titles in
the Classic Wine Library series. He has also written Viticulture – A guide to commercial grape
growing for wine production which is aimed at Master of Wine (MW) and WSET Diploma
students, plus anyone considering owning or establishing a vineyard anywhere in
the world. Viticulture was originally published in 2007 but was revised
and updated in 2019. This has also been translated into Japanese and Chinese. He
also writes on English and Welsh wine for Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion
to Wine and Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wines.
He is currently working on an update of his varieties book.
Stephen was a director of the
English Vineyards Association (EVA) from 1982–1995 and of its successor
organisation, the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) from 1995–2003.
He was Chairman of the UKVA from 1999–2003. He was also at various times between
1982 and 1986 Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman of the South East Vineyards
Association, Secretary of the Circle of Wine Writers between 1990 and 1997 and
has served on various EU committees in Brussels representing UK winegrowers. In
1999 he took three years off from the wine business to do a BSc in Multimedia
Technology and Design at Brunel
University. While at
Brunel, Stephen was awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize. In October 2011 he
received an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin
University. In September 2011 he completed an MA in Life Writing (Biography) at
the Creative Writing Department of the University of East Anglia.
In 2003 Stephen became a Master
of Wine, winning the prestigious Robert Mondavi Trophy for gaining the highest
marks in the Theory section of the examination. In 2005 he won the AXA
Millésimes Communicator of the Year Award for services to the MW education
programme. He served on the MW Education Committee from 2003 – 2009 and was the
education course wine coordinator. In 2009 he was elected to the Council of the
Institute of Masters of Wine and served on it until 2016. He was Chairman of
the MW Research Paper Examination Committee from 2013-2021 and Panel Chairman
for the English and Welsh wines for the Decanter World Wine Awards between 2009
and 2021. He was also Chair of the WineGB Viticulture Working Group from 2018
to 2022. He was made a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners in 2021
and a Liveryman in 2024.
