Recent experience and research with hot water treatment protocols for imported grapevines have found that handling and storage procedures before and after HWT can influence vine vitality after planting. We plan to conduct an experiment using young Merlot and Chardonnay vines on 3309 rootstock that will be subjected to combinations of handling treatments including hydration in storage, pre- and post-HWT acclimation, and post HWT cold storage. There will also be a set on vines without HWT that will undergo some of the same handling treatments for comparison. After treatment, the vines will be planted at the PARC field plots facility and evaluated for budbreak timing, mortality rates, and growth and development for more than a year. The results will be made available to growers and nurseries to clarify what combination of HWT procedures best maintain vitality in young vines.