Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. cv Gamay Freaux) cells from a suspension culture were immobilized in reticulate polyurethane foam matrices. Growth pattern and anthocyanin accumulation within the immobilized cells were compared with results from freely suspended cultures. An increase in both the length of the initial lag-growth phase (from 5 to 12 days) and the amount of peonidin 3-glucoside stored within the cells was shown as a result of the immobilization process. This fact gave some insight about the effect of retention within the matric on this plant cell line.