Swenson Red Grape (Bundle of 2)

Representative photo of a ripe red grape cluster on the vine, not Swenson Red itself

Swenson Red Grape (Bundle of 2) | Spring 2027

$59.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Self-fertile

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

Grape Pollination Chart

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

Disease resistanceNo strong resistance

Anthracnose : Unknown, no published data yet
Black rot : Moderate, 3 of 5
Botrytis bunch rot : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Crown gall : Unknown, no published data yet
Downy mildew : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5
Phomopsis cane spot : Unknown, no published data yet
Powdery mildew : Susceptible, 2 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our grape and kiwi disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Swenson Red Grape is a grape vine rated hardy to zone 4 in our ratings (winters to -30°F), self-fertile, so one plant can crop, and it ripens about Sep 23 to Oct 7 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 4 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 4, colder half included (winters to -30°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 500 hours (350 to 750). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination	Self-Fertile. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring to early summer here. Swenson Red has perfect flowers and sets fruit on its own, so one variety is enough. Grapes bloom in June, well after tree fruit. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Grape Pollination Chart.
Ripens	About Sep 23 to Oct 7 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Good for	Fresh eating (8/10), jams and jellies (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Swenson Red is a favorite among many cold-climate growers. It was the first introduction by the famed cold-hardy grape breeder Elmer Swenson, and it’s been a standout ever since.

Flavor & Versatility

This grape is firm, juicy, and strawberry-sweet, and is hardy to Zone 4. It’s excellent for fresh eating, but also shines in jelly and juice. While the name might suggest a red wine, its wine isn’t technically red—it’s closer to a rosé, and when fermented without the skin, it actually produces a crisp white wine.

Tough but Flexible in Harsh Winters

If you regularly experience winter temps below -30°F, it's been our experience—and that of many others planting Swenson Red (as well as Marquette and others)—that the tops may die back the first few winters, but the vines will consistently come back from the base in the spring.

That’s no problem at all—these are rooted cuttings, not grafts, so the roots are true to Swenson Red. What grows back will still be Swenson Red grapes. It might set the vine back a little at first, but after a couple of seasons, it’ll usually be strong enough to handle deeper frosts without dying back.

Strong Starts with Deep Roots

These vines are from rooted cuttings and come with a nice, robust root system, ready to thrive in your cold-climate vineyard.

About the photo: this isn’t Swenson Red itself. Photos of Swenson Red are either under copyright or simply unavailable, so we picked the open-source image that looks closest to the fruit. Photo: “Crimson seedless on the vine” by Bob Nichols, USDA ARS, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Questions we get about Swenson Red Grape

Does Swenson Red Grape need a pollenizer?

No. Swenson Red Grape is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Swenson Red has perfect flowers and sets fruit on its own, so one variety is enough. Grapes bloom in June, well after tree fruit.

How cold hardy is Swenson Red Grape?

We rate Swenson Red Grape hardy to zone 4, which means winters down to about -30°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How many chill hours does Swenson Red Grape need?

About 500 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 350 and 750. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Swenson Red Grape ripen?

About Sep 23 to Oct 7 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

What is Swenson Red Grape good for?

Our top use scores for Swenson Red Grape are fresh eating (8/10), jams and jellies (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Is Swenson Red Grape disease resistant?

Not really. It holds up moderately well against black rot. It's very prone to downy mildew, and prone to botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew. Nobody has published solid data on it for anthracnose, crown gall and Phomopsis cane spot yet, so we list those as unknown. Our grape and kiwi disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Swenson Red Grape?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Swenson Red Grape with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does Swenson Red Grape ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.