The change of grape (Vitis vinifera) harvest from summer to winter through double pruning management has improved the fine wine quality in southern Brazil. High altitude, late cultivar and grafting combination all need to be investigated to optimize this new viticulture management. For this purpose, this study was carried out during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons in a high altitude region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, using eight grafting combinations for five year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The stem water potential, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were not affected by rootstock type. The rootstocks IAC 766 and 101-14 induced, respectively, the highest and lowest vegetative vigor in Cabernet Sauvignon, as shown by leaf area and pruning weight. In the 2011 growing season, the leaf chlorophyll contents were increased in IAC 766, whereas vines grafted onto 101-14 accumulated more leaf starch, probably due to reduced vegetative and reproductive growth. In general, rootstocks K5BB, 1045P, SO4 and IAC 766 had the highest yield as compared to 1103P and 101-14. Berries from the grapevine with the highest yield did not differ in pH, total soluble solids and acidity. The rootstocks did not influence the anthocyanins and total phenols in both growing seasons. Quality parameters were better in the 2011 than in the 2012 growing season due to better climatic conditions, mainly less rainfall. The best performance of Cabernet Sauvignon was achieved when grafted onto K5BB, 1045P, SO4 and IAC 766 rootstocks. Keywords: double pruning, leaf carbohydrates, vegetative vigor, grape composition IntroductionThe southeastern region of Brazil has shown potential for the production of high quality wines during the winter growing season through double pruning management. This technique has improved grape (Vitis vinifera) quality by changing the period of harvest from wet and warm summer to dry and mild autumn -winter . To harvest wine grapes during the autumn -winter, the first pruning takes place in August and the second in January .The first studies carried out in the state of Minas Gerais showed that the ecological conditions of the autumn-winter season, such as low rainfall and high thermal amplitude, are favorable for improving Syrah grape composition from grapevines grown under warm temperate and tropical (Favero et al., 2010) climates in the south and north of the state, respectively. However, double pruning management had not been validated either for high altitude, or for late maturing cultivars, such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Furthermore, the rootstock effects also needed to be investigated to optimize the effects of double pruning management.In viticulture, rootstocks are widely used and make a significant contribution to scion performance under several cultivation conditions. Although the mechanism for grapevine scion vigor controlled by rootstocks is poorly understood, several authors have shown effects on water relations (Souza et al., 2009) ). Therefore, the selection of an appropriate roots...