The knowledge of phenological stages and thermal requirement are important in vineyard management because provides information for production and quality of the grapes. This study had the objective to evaluate phenology and thermal demand of the grape cultivars Bordô, Concord, and BRS Carmem on rootstocks Paulsen 1103, IAC 766, and VR 043-43. The experiment was conducted in a family owned vineyard in Campo Largo, Paraná State, Brazil. The vineyard was carried out on ridges with semi-trellis in ‘T’ systems conducting (Geneva Double Curtain trellis). The evaluations were assessed during the production cycles of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. The phenology was evaluated with a scale of 13 phenological stages. The thermal demand was defined by calculating the degree-days accumulation (DD) from bud swelling until harvest stage. The cultivar BRS Carmem had the longest cycle, being influenced by the rootstock, IAC 766 e Paulsen 1103 showed opposite results for cycle time. The cultivar Concord was more stable; there was no influence of rootstock on the cycle or of the thermal demand on the two harvests. The duration of the phenological cycle in 2012/2013 was lower than on the first harvest. Thermal requirement of ‘BRS Carmem’ was influenced by tree different rootstocks, ‘Concord’ was not influenced, and the results to ‘Bordô’ were not consistent.