Zone 3 Grape Vines

MFTC Zones, Not USDA Averages: Look Up Your Address →

Ten grapes for zone 3, listed A to Z. The ones rated only to 3b, the warmer half of the zone (-35°F to -30°F), have a 3b tag on them. Everything else is hardy through all of zone 3, down to -40°F, and a few are rated even colder.

More About Zone 3 Grapes

Hardy through all of zone 3: Bluebell, Valiant, Brianna, La Crescent, Prairie Star, Sabrevois and Somerset Seedless. Bluebell and Valiant are rated all the way to zone 2.

Rated to 3b, the warmer half: Frontenac, Itasca and Marquette. Save these for a 3b site. If you're in the colder half (3a), skip the ones with the 3b tag.

Every one of these is self-fertile, so one plant will fruit. Our grape pollination chart shows which ones bloom together.

For jam and jelly: Bluebell, Valiant, Brianna and Somerset Seedless. For wine: Brianna, La Crescent, Prairie Star, Sabrevois, Frontenac, Itasca and Marquette.

Other zones: Zone 4 Grapes · Everything for Zone 3.

Questions We Get

What does zone 3 mean on your scale?

On our MFTC scale, zone 3 means the coldest night you should plan for (the 1-in-30-year low) falls between -40°F and -30°F. Zone 3a runs -40°F to -35°F and zone 3b runs -35°F to -30°F. That is colder than a USDA zone 3, which is built on the average yearly low, so run your address through our cold hardiness calculator instead of going off a USDA map.

Can I plant the 3b grapes in zone 3a?

We don't recommend it. A 3b rating means it has come through -35°F, not the -40°F a cold zone 3a winter can bring. Not sure which half you're in? Our cold hardiness calculator will tell you.