European wine grape
Quick Summary
The European wine grape, Vitis vinifera, is a species of vining plant cultivated for its fruit, which can be eaten fresh, dried into raisins, or crushed to make wine. There are thousands of V. vinifera varieties, differing in berry color, size, juice composition, and disease resistance.12
Grapes thrive in temperate climates but are sensitive to extreme cold. Climate significantly impacts grape composition, with factors like heat summation (total heat units during the growing season), sunlight, and soil temperature playing crucial roles. For instance, a heat summation of around 1,800° is needed for successful growth; insufficient heat results in underripe grapes.2
Viticulture, or grape cultivation, has ancient origins, with V. vinifera being cultivated in the Middle East by 4000 BCE. The Greeks and Romans spread grape growing throughout Europe, and the industry was preserved by monastic orders after the fall of the Roman Empire. The concept of terroir encompasses the environmental factors like soil, climate, and sunlight that give wine grapes their distinctive character.34
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grapeMajor speciesHowever, it is the European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) that is used to produce most standard or higher quality wines. There are at least 5,000 reported varieties of this grape, which differ from one another in such characteristics as colour, size, and shape of berry; juice composition (including flavour);…
Read MoreHowever, it is the European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) that is used to produce most standard or higher quality wines. There are at least 5,000 reported varieties of this grape, which differ from one another in such characteristics as colour, size, and shape of berry; juice composition (including flavour);…
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Vitaceae…economic importance; it includes the European wine grape (V. vinifera) and the North American fox grape (V. labrusca), the parent species of most of the cultivated slipskin American grapes. The Boston ivy (q.v.; Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and the Virginia creeper (q.v.; P. quinquefolia) are well-known woody vines common in the eastern…
Read More…economic importance; it includes the European wine grape (V. vinifera) and the North American fox grape (V. labrusca), the parent species of most of the cultivated slipskin American grapes. The Boston ivy (q.v.; Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and the Virginia creeper (q.v.; P. quinquefolia) are well-known woody vines common in the eastern…
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