By Cynthia Van Hazinga

I'm not a vintner, but I grew up with grapes. Wild grapes -- some call them fox grapes -- are plentiful in brambly, overgrown pastures. My mother always picked and washed and cooked them. She hung cotton jelly bags and let the juice drip out overnight. Then she made gallons and gallons of grape juice, and wild grape jelly is still my nostalgic favorite.

Grapevines are ornamental in every season of the year, flushing pale iridescent green when they unfurl their leaves in spring, hanging bright and lush and full with bunches of fruit in the summer. The harvest has its own triumphant flavor, but after the grapes have been picked and before the first hard frost, the vines look strongly structural, even statuesque. The leaves redden and seem to have an inner glow.

Fall is the best time of the year to pick grapevines for wreaths. The vines need to be pruned, and you're ready to make wreaths. Ask a farmer for pruning scraps, or head into the woods with clippers and a basket.

In the new-growth woods and unmowed pastures, grapes usually stake out their territory in small trees and large bushes.

Vine wreaths are versatile and can take almost any kind of adornment. They never lose their natural, woodsy charm but can capture any mood with decoration. You'll enjoy the process of making these enchanted circles and be surprised at the beauty they'll add to your home.

You'll need:

Grapevines
Hand pruners
Florist's wire
Wire cutters
Glue gun
A variety of dried and fresh herbs and flowers and any other natural ornament that catches
your eye, plus ribbons, bonbons and glitter to suit your taste.

Putting it all together

1. CHOOSING THE VINES

Cut a good quantity of grapevines, some thick woody vines as well as those about the diameter of a pencil. These are the easiest to work with. Very slim vines will look skimpy. The length of the vine doesn't matter, as you'll keep adding one vine to the last.

2. Prepping the vines

Remove leaves from the vines, leaving some tendrils and curls. If you can't begin your wreath immediately, soak the vines in water so they don't dry out and stiffen. They'll be safe in the tub for at least a day. Even if you forget and the vines become brittle, soak them once more before using.

3. Forming the wreath

Start with a length of vine that's long and large in diameter, and form a circle about the size you want your wreath to be. Weave the rest of the vine around the circle, then tuck in the end. Choose another vine, insert one end into the skeleton wreath, wrap the vine around and through the circle as many times as it will go, then tuck in the end. Add vines until you have a gorgeous, thick wreath, always weaving the vines around each other tightly and varying the spot where you insert new vines. If you come across a length of vine that won't stay in place, use a short twist of florist's wire to hold it snug. Make the wreath fuller than you want because the vines will shrink and separate as they dry.

4. The final touch

Decorate your wreath as elaborately as you like. Symmetry and simplicity go a long way. I like to start with fresh fruit and foliage, simply sticking sprigs of red highbush cranberries, small fir cones, or clusters of red viburnum berries into the wreath and changing them when they dry up. If necessary, use a glue gun to attach ornaments. Dried flowers, especially roses, make a colorful, fragrant wreath. Wire a bunch together and attach them to the wreath. It's great fun to scavenge at this time of year. You may find a perfectly round bird's nest, hardened poppy seed heads or still-yellow sunflowers. Look for pods of all sorts, nuts, rosehips, teasel. Or raid the garden for bright red peppers, red corn or rosy crabapples.

Variations with Varietals

Make tiny grapevine wreaths to circle candles for the tabletop, or larger, flat ones to cuddle a platter.

Make two wreaths, one slightly smaller than the other. Suspend the smaller wreath crosswise inside the larger one to form a kissing ball or a sphere to hold suet and seed for the birds.

For an unusual wreath, shape the grapevines into a square, diamond or figure eight.

Three Best Ways to Hang a Wreath

Better than a nail in the door is a reusable brass wreath hanger that fits over the door's top and ends in a hook. Look for them in garden centers or housewares catalogs.

Well-woven ribbon is both attractive and practical. Fix a wide, colorful ribbon at the back of the wreath or loop it through the center, and tack the ribbon to the top of the door. Keep it subtle by using strong, clear fishing line. The resulting ties are just about invisible.

Cynthia Van Hazinga grows grapes in her back yard and always makes wild grape jelly and a wreath or two after harvesting the vines.