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The rest-breaking agent, hydrogen cyanamide (HC), can substitute insufficient chill unit accumulation in <i>Vitis vinifera</i> and induce uniform bud-break; however, due to its toxicity it is being banned. In South Africa, red seedless grapes, including <i>V. vinifera</i> Crimson Seedless (CS), are the largest table grape export group; therefore, replacing HC in <i>V. vinifera</i> CS is crucial. This study aimed to confirm the molecular triggers induced by HC and assess the bud-break-enhancing abilities of commercial plant biostimulants. Forced bud-break assay experiments using <i>V. vinifera</i> CS single-node cuttings and a small-scale field trial were performed. Results demonstrated that increased chill unit accumulation (CUA) reduced HC efficacy. Bud-break started between 10 and 20 days after treatment, irrespective of final CUA. The small-scale field trial found that HC 3% and biostimulants were similar to the negative control. The treatment of dormant grapevine compound buds with nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and hypoxia trigger dormancy release to a certain extent, supporting the molecular models proposed for HC action. NO, H₂O₂, and hypoxia, in combination with PBs, may potentially replace HC; however, this needs to be confirmed in future experiments.