grape

(grāp)

1. Any of numerous woody vines of the genus Vitis, bearing clusters of edible berries and widely cultivated in many species and varieties.
2. The fleshy, smooth-skinned, purple, red, or green berry of a grape, eaten raw or dried as a raisin and widely used in winemaking.
3. A dark violet to dark grayish purple.
4. Grapeshot.

[Middle English, from Old French, bunch of grapes, hook, of Germanic origin.]

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Cardinal grapes

The fruit of a vine, probably originally from Asia Minor, from the Caspian Sea region or Armenia. Grapes are berries that may be round or slightly elongated, and more or less fleshy. They are clustered in bunches. Their color varies: it may be green (called white grapes in Europe), green-yellow, reddish or almost black. The sweet and juicy pulp is covered in a clear skin, which is itself covered in a thin, powdery film called the "bloom." The pulp may or may not contain seeds, depending on the variety. 

Grapes are divided into table grapes eaten as fruit or used in pastries or cooking, wine grapes and grapes for drying to produce raisins. 

The most well-known European varieties are
the Cardinal, Black Muscat, Lival and Ribier grapes, whose skin is purple-blue or dark blue, which are classed as blue or black grapes; and
the Chasselas, Muscat Blanc, Gros-vert and Servant grapes, classed as green or white grapes. 

In North America, there are
the Concord grape, a blue-black, seeded grape;
the Flame, Delaware and Ruby grapes, red seedless grapes; and
the Thompson and Niagara grapes, green seedless grapes. 

Unlike European varieties, the skin of American grape varieties does not adhere to the pulp. Black Corinth grapes are distinguished from other grapes by their tiny size. They are also called "Zante grapes" or "champagne grapes." They are decorative, seedless and very sweet and tasty.

Grapes are the main ingredient in wine and various alcoholic drinks (armagnac, cognac, port, champagne, etc.). The European species, Vitis vinifera, produces the preeminent wine grape. It has thousands of varieties, called cépages in French.

Storing

In the fridge: a few days, bunches wrapped in paper towel in a loosely closed or perforated plastic bag after removing any damaged grapes. For better flavor, let stand at room temperature for about 15 min before eating.

Grapes are suited to being macerated in alcohol.

Preparing

Wash grapes carefully, as they have almost always been treated with chemicals (copper sulfate and calcium hydrate). Don't confuse treatment residues (which stops well before harvesting) with the grape's bloom. Detach small clusters of grapes from the bunch using scissors. Don't pick grapes off at random from all over the bunch, as the stems dry out and the grapes that are still attached become soft and shrivel.

Serving Ideas

Grapes are eaten as is or used in fruit salads, pies, flans and jams. In pastries, they can be used in place of cherries or apples. Grapes are made into jam and jelly. They are used in sauces, stuffings, curries, stews and mixed salads. They work well with poultry, game, rabbit, fish and seafood. Grapes are a particularly good accompaniment to calf's liver and duck, as well as quail.

Grape juice is widely enjoyed, plain or fermented. 

A cooking oil is extracted from grape seeds.

Grapevine leaves are used in North Africa, Greece, Israel and Iran, often stuffed with rice or meat.

Nutritional Information

Buying

Choose: firm, intact, well-colored grapes that still have their bloom and are firmly attached to the bunch. Green grapes with hints of yellow are sweeter.

Avoid: soft, wrinkled, spotted grapes, or ones that are white at the end attached to the stem.

Chasselas grapes

Black Corinth grapes

Thompson grapes

Muscat grapes

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(click to enlarge)
Grape (Vitis). (credit: Grant Heilman Photography)

Any of the 60 plant species that make up the genus Vitis (family Vitaceae), native to the northern temperate zone, including varieties that may be eaten as table fruit, dried to produce raisins, or crushed to make grape juice or wine. V. vinifera is the species most commonly used in wine making. The grape is usually a woody vine, climbing by means of tendrils. In arid regions it may form an almost erect shrub. Botanically, the fruit is a berry. Grapes contain such minerals as calcium and phosphorus and are a source of vitamin A. All grapes contain sugar (glucose and fructose) in varying quantities depending on the variety.

For more information on grape, visit Britannica.com.

The two genera of grapes are Vitis and Muscadinia. Vitis vinifera has intermittent forked tendrils, bark that sheds, and elongated clusters with berries that adhere to the pedicels at maturity. This species also has thin, smooth, shiny leaves with three, five, or seven lobes. Berries may be round or oval and have edible skins that adhere to the flesh. In the American species skins slip from the pulp. Many American species have a characteristic musky or foxy odor and taste. Muscadinia can be easily distinguished from Vitis by bark that does not shed and simple tendrils that do not fork.

Viticulture is the science of grape production. In a broad sense, viticulture includes studies of grape varieties; methods of culture such as trellising, pruning, and training; insect and disease control; propagation; and raisin production.

In the United States, V. vinifera is grown on the west coast, and most of the grapes cultivated east of the Rocky Mountains have been derived from American native species such as V. labrusca and V. aestivalis, or from crosses between them and V. vinifera. There is also a native Caribbean species and several Asiatic species. There are three main species of Muscadinia that are found mostly in the southeast portion of the United States.

Table grapes are utilized for food and decorative purposes. Some of the leading table grapes in California are Emperor, Tokay, Thompson Seedless, Cardinal, and Perlette. Some of the principal commercial American varieties are Concord, Catawba, Delaware, and Niagara. Some of the important varieties of M. rotundifolia, the Muscadine grape, are Scuppernong, Thomas, and Hunt.

Important wine grapes in California include Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Chardonnay, Grenache, French Colombard, and Zinfandel. Many of the North American and rotundifolia species that are used for eating purposes are also used for wine.

Fruit of varieties of Vitis vinifera. One of the oldest cultivated plants (recorded in ancient Egypt in 4000 bc). Can be grouped as dessert grapes, wine grapes, and varieties that are used for drying to produce raisins, currants, and sultanas (see fruit, dried). Of the many varieties of grape that are grown for wine making, nine are considered ‘classic varieties’: cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, chenin blanc, merlot, pinot noir, riesling, sauvignon blanc, sémillon, syrah. A 100-g portion is a source of copper; provides 0.5 g of dietary fibre; supplies 60 kcal (245 kJ).

This edible berry grows in clusters on small shrubs or climbing vines in temperate zones throughout the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. California is the largest U.S. Producer of grapes-both for wine and for the table. There are thousands of grape varieties, each with its own particular use and charm. In general, grapes are smooth-skinned and juicy; they may have several seeds in the center or they may be seedless. There are "slip-skin" varieties, which have skins that slip easily off the berry-like a mitten being pulled off a hand-and those with skins that cling stubbornly to the flesh. Grapes are divided into color categories of white or black (also referred to as "red"). White grape varieties range in color from pale yellow-green to light green, and black grapes from light red to purple-black. They're also classified by the way they're used-whether for wine (such as cabernet or riesling), table (like thompson seedless or ribier) or commercial food production, such as muscat grapes for raisins, zante grapes for currants and concord grapes for grape juice, jams and jellies. Wine grapes, for instance, have high acidity and are therefore too tart for general eating. Table grapes, with their low acid, would make dull, bland-tasting wines. The availability of table grapes depends on the variety. Buy grapes that are plump, full-colored and firmly attached to their stems. White (or green) grapes should have a slight pale yellow hue, a sign of ripeness. Dark grapes should be deeply colored, with no sign of green. In general, grapes should be stored, unwashed and in a plastic bag, in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week, though quality will diminish with time. Because most supermarket grapes have been sprayed with insecticide, they should be thoroughly washed and blotted dry with a paper towel just before eating or using. Ideally, grapes should be served at about 60°F, so it's best to remove them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Table grapes can be used in salads, for pies and other desserts and of course for out-of-hand eating. Whole grapes are also available canned. Grape juice comes in cans or bottles; grape jelly, jam and preserves in jars. Fresh grapes contain small amounts of vitamin A and a variety of minerals. See also catawba; champagne grapes; chardonnay; chenin blanc; delaware; emperor; french colombard; merlot; muscadine; niagara; petite sirah; pinot blanc; pinot noir; sauvignon; sémillon; sultana; sylvaner; tokay; zinfandel.

n. short for grapeshot.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Although other fruits are vinified, grapes are the basis for most of the world's wine and all of its fine wines. That's because certain grape species (which today have been refined to deliver the utmost in aroma and flavor) comprise the right properties to produce wine naturally-high amounts of fermentable sugar, strong flavors, color in the skins, and tannins in the seeds and skins (to assist aging). It's surmised that over 5,000 years ago someone discovered a naturally created wine-and that it tasted good. That prompted grape cultivation, along with winemaking techniques to help nature along. Today, wine production has become relatively sophisticated, and the wine, presumably, has become much better. Grapes belong to the botanical family Ampelidaceae, and of that family's ten genera, the genus Vitis is most important to winemakers. There are numerous species within the genus Vitis, the most important of which is vitis vinifera, the species that yields over 99 percent of the world's wines. Vitis vinifera is native to Europe and East and Central Asia, but it has been planted all over the world. There are estimated to be thousands of varieties of this species, some of the best-known being cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, syrah and zinfandel. Other Vitis species that produce grapes suitable for wine include vitis labrusca, vitis riparia and vitis rotundifolia (all of which are native to the Americas). Even though these species are not the quality of the Vitis vinifera grapes, some of them have played a critical role in worldwide grape production. That's because the Vitis vinifera roots are susceptible to phylloxera and the native American vines, particularly Vitis riparia, are resistant to this louse. Most of the world's vineyards now have phylloxera-resistant rootstocks (other than Vitis vinifera) that have Vitis vinifera vines grafted to them. This resulting marriage allows the roots to survive while still producing the best wine grapes.

A person's head.

n.

    Hail noble fruit! -- by Homer sung,
        Anacreon and Khayyam;
    Thy praise is ever on the tongue
        Of better men than I am.
    
    The lyre in my hand has never swept,
        The song I cannot offer:
    My humbler service pray accept --
        I'll help to kill the scoffer.
    
    The water-drinkers and the cranks
        Who load their skins with liquor --
    I'll gladly bear their belly-tanks
        And tap them with my sticker.
    
    Fill up, fill up, for wisdom cools
        When e'er we let the wine rest.
    Here's death to Prohibition's fools,
        And every kind of vine-pest!
                                                       Jamrach Holobom

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

The grape is a symbol of harvest and of sacrifice. Because of popular images in which beautiful damsels hand-feed grapes to reclining revelers, grapes may represent wealth, opulence, or decadence. Christian rituals incorporate grapes to represent the blood of Christ.

• Shrubs
• Vines
• Purple

This article is about the fruits of the genus Vitis. For the European grapevine, see Vitis vinifera. For other uses, see Grape (disambiguation).

Grape

"White" table grapes

Grapes, purple or green

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	288 kJ (69 kcal)
Carbohydrates	18.1 g
- Sugars	15.48 g
- Dietary fiber	0.9 g
Fat	0.0 g
Protein	0.72 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.069 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.07 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.188 mg (1%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.05 mg (1%)
Vitamin B6	0.086 mg (7%)
Folate (vit. B9)	2 μg (1%)
Vitamin B12	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin C	10.8 mg (13%)
Vitamin K	22 μg (21%)
Calcium	10 mg (1%)
Iron	0.36 mg (3%)
Magnesium	7 mg (2%)
Manganese	0.071 mg (3%)
Phosphorus	20 mg (3%)
Potassium	191 mg (4%)
Sodium	3.02 mg (0%)
Zinc	0.07 mg (1%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil.

Contents 1 History 2 Description 3 Grapevines 4 Distribution and production 5 Table and wine grapes 6 Seedless grapes 7 Raisins, currants and sultanas 8 Health claims 8.1 French Paradox 8.2 Resveratrol 8.3 Anthocyanins and other phenolics 8.4 Seed constituents 8.5 Concord grape juice 9 Religious significance 10 Gallery 11 See also 12 Sources 13 Further reading 14 External links

History

The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000-8,000 years ago in the Near East.^[1] Yeast, one of the earliest domesticated microorganisms, occurs naturally on the skins of grapes, leading to the innovation of alcoholic drinks such as wine. First traces of red wine are seen in ancient Armenia where apparently, to date, the oldest winery was found, dating to around 4,000 BCE. By the 9th century CE the city of Shiraz was known to produce some of the finest wines in the Middle East. Thus it has been proposed that Syrah red wine is named after Shiraz, a city in Persia where the grape was used to make Shirazi wine. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics record the cultivation of purple grapes, and history attests to the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans growing purple grapes for both eating and wine production. Later, the growing of grapes spread to Europe, North Africa, and eventually North America.

Native purple grapes belonging to the Vitis genus proliferated in the wild across North America, and were a part of the diet of many Native Americans, but were considered by European colonists to be unsuitable for wine. The first Old World Vitis vinifera purple grapes were cultivated in California.^{[citation needed]} In North and South America and Australia the grapes used to create wine are known as "New World" grapes. "Old World" grapes are typically associated with Europe in countries like France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Description

Grapes are a type of fruit that grow in clusters of 15 to 300, and can be crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, and pink. "White" grapes are actually green in color, and are evolutionarily derived from the purple grape. Mutations in two regulatory genes of white grapes turn off production of anthocyanins which are responsible for the color of purple grapes.^[2] Anthocyanins and other pigment chemicals of the larger family of polyphenols in purple grapes are responsible for the varying shades of purple in red wines.^[3][4] Grapes are also used in some kinds of confectionery. Grapes are typically an ellipsoid shape resembling a prolate spheroid.

Grapevines

Main article: Vitis

Yaquti Grapes production in 2008, Iran.

Most grapes come from cultivars of Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Minor amounts of fruit and wine come from American and Asian species such as:

• Vitis labrusca, the North American table and grape juice grapevines (including the concord cultivar), sometimes used for wine, are native to the Eastern United States and Canada.
• Vitis riparia, a wild vine of North America, is sometimes used for winemaking and for jam. It is native to the entire Eastern U.S. and north to Quebec.
• Vitis rotundifolia, the muscadines, used for jams and wine, are native to the Southeastern United States from Delaware to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Vitis amurensis is the most important Asian species.

Distribution and production

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 75,866 square kilometres of the world are dedicated to grapes. Approximately 71% of world grape production is used for wine, 27% as fresh fruit, and 2% as dried fruit. A portion of grape production goes to producing grape juice to be reconstituted for fruits canned "with no added sugar" and "100% natural". The area dedicated to vineyards is increasing by about 2% per year.

Concord is a variety of North American labrusca grape

The following table of top wine-producers shows the corresponding areas dedicated to grapes for wine making:

Country	Area dedicated
Spain	11,750 km2
France	8,640 km2
Italy	8,270 km2
Turkey	8,120 km2
United States	4,150 km2
Iran	2,860 km2
Romania	2,480 km2
Portugal	2,160 km2
Argentina	2,080 km2
Chile	1,840 km2
Australia	1,642 km2
Armenia	1,459 km2
Lebanon	1,122 km2

Top Ten Grapes Producers – 8 October 2009
Country	Production (Tonnes)	Footnote
Italy	8,519,418	F
China	6,787,081	F
United States	6,384,090	F
France	6,044,900	F
Spain	5,995,300	F
Turkey	3,612,781	F
Iran	3,000,000	F
Argentina	2,900,000	F
Chile	2,350,000	F
India	1,667,700	F
World	67,221,000	A
No symbol = official figure, P = official figure, F = FAOSTAT 2007, * = Unofficial/Semi-official/mirror data, C = Calculated figure, A = Aggregate (may include official, semi-official or estimates); Source: Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division

There are no reliable statistics that break down grape production by variety. It is, however, believed that the most widely planted variety is Sultana, also known as Thompson Seedless, with at least 3,600 km². (880,000 acres) dedicated to it. The second most common variety is Airén. Other popular varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Grenache, Tempranillo, Riesling and Chardonnay.^[5]

Table and wine grapes

Wine grapes on the vine

Commercially cultivated grapes can usually be classified as either table or wine grapes, based on their intended method of consumption: eaten raw (table grapes) or used to make wine (wine grapes). While almost all of them belong to the same species, Vitis vinifera, table and wine grapes have significant differences, brought about through selective breeding. Table grape cultivars tend to have large, seedless fruit (see below) with relatively thin skin. Wine grapes are smaller, usually seeded, and have relatively thick skins (a desirable characteristic in winemaking, since much of the aroma in wine comes from the skin). Wine grapes also tend to be very sweet: they are harvested at the time when their juice is approximately 24% sugar by weight. By comparison, commercially produced "100% grape juice", made from table grapes is usually around 15% sugar by weight.^[6]

Seedless grapes

Although grape seeds contain many nutrients, some consumers choose seedless grapes; seedless cultivars now make up the overwhelming majority of table grape plantings. Because grapevines are vegetatively propagated by cuttings, the lack of seeds does not present a problem for reproduction. It is, however, an issue for breeders, who must either use a seeded variety as the female parent or rescue embryos early in development using tissue culture techniques.

There are several sources of the seedlessness trait, and essentially all commercial cultivators get it from one of three sources: Thompson Seedless, Russian Seedless, and Black Monukka, all being cultivars of Vitis vinifera. There are currently more than a dozen varieties of seedless grapes. Several, such as Einset Seedless, Benjamin Gunnels's Prime seedless grapes, Reliance and Venus, have been specifically cultivated for hardiness and quality in the relatively cold climates of northeastern United States and southern Ontario.^[7]

An offset to the improved eating quality of seedlessness is the loss of potential health benefits provided by the enriched phytochemical content of grape seeds (see Health claims, below).^[8][9]

Raisins, currants and sultanas

Raisins

In most of Europe, dried grapes are referred to as "raisins" or the local equivalent. In the UK, three different varieties are recognized, forcing the EU to use the term "Dried vine fruit" in official documents.

A raisin is any dried grape. While raisin is a French loanword, the word in French refers to the fresh fruit; grappe (from which the English grape is derived) refers to the bunch (as in une grappe de raisins).

A currant is a dried Zante Black Corinth grape, the name being a corruption of the French raisin de Corinthe (Corinth grape). Currant has also come to refer to the blackcurrant and redcurrant, two berries unrelated to grapes.

A sultana was originally a raisin made from Sultana grapes of Turkish origin (known as Thompson Seedless in the United States), but the word is now applied to raisins made from either white grapes, or red grapes which are bleached to resemble the traditional sultana.

Health claims

Main articles: Wine and health, French Paradox, and Resveratrol

French Paradox

Comparing diets among Western countries, researchers have discovered that although the French tend to eat higher levels of animal fat, surprisingly the incidence of heart disease remains low in France. This phenomenon has been termed the French Paradox, and is thought to occur from protective benefits of regularly consuming red wine. Apart from potential benefits of alcohol itself, including reduced platelet aggregation and vasodilation,^[10] polyphenols (e.g., resveratrol) mainly in the grape skin provide other suspected health benefits, such as:^[11]

• Alteration of molecular mechanisms in blood vessels, reducing susceptibility to vascular damage
• Decreased activity of angiotensin, a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would elevate blood pressure
• Increased production of the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide (endothelium-derived relaxing factor)

Although adoption of wine consumption is not recommended by some health authorities,^[12] a significant volume of research indicates moderate consumption, such as one glass of red wine a day for women and two for men, may confer health benefits.^[13][14][15] Emerging evidence is that wine polyphenols like resveratrol^[16] provide physiological benefit whereas alcohol itself may have protective effects on the cardiovascular system.^[17]

Resveratrol

Grape phytochemicals such as resveratrol (a polyphenol antioxidant), have been positively linked to inhibiting any cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, viral infections and mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease.^[18][19]

Protection of the genome through antioxidant actions may be a general function of resveratrol.^[20] In laboratory studies, resveratrol bears a significant transcriptional overlap with the beneficial effects of calorie restriction in heart, skeletal muscle and brain. Both dietary interventions inhibit gene expression associated with heart and skeletal muscle aging, and prevent age-related heart failure.^[21]

Resveratrol is the subject of several human clinical trials,^[22] among which the most advanced is a one year dietary regimen in a Phase III study of elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease.^[23]

Synthesized by many plants, resveratrol apparently serves antifungal and other defensive properties. Dietary resveratrol has been shown to modulate the metabolism of lipids and to inhibit oxidation of low-density lipoproteins and aggregation of platelets.^[24]

Resveratrol is found in wide amounts among grape varieties, primarily in their skins and seeds which, in muscadine grapes, have about one hundred times higher concentration than pulp.^[25] Fresh grape skin contains about 50 to 100 micrograms of resveratrol per gram.^[26]

Anthocyanins and other phenolics

Grape cross-section

Anthocyanins tend to be the main polyphenolics in purple grapes whereas flavan-3-ols (i.e. catechins) are the more abundant phenolic in white varieties.^[27] Total phenolic content, a laboratory index of antioxidant strength, is higher in purple varieties due almost entirely to anthocyanin density in purple grape skin compared to absence of anthocyanins in white grape skin.^[27] It is these anthocyanins that are attracting the efforts of scientists to define their properties for human health.^[28] Phenolic content of grape skin varies with cultivar, soil composition, climate, geographic origin, and cultivation practices or exposure to diseases, such as fungal infections.

Red wine may offer health benefits more so than white because potentially beneficial compounds are present in grape skin, and only red wine is fermented with skins. The amount of fermentation time a wine spends in contact with grape skins is an important determinant of its resveratrol content.^[29] Ordinary non-muscadine red wine contains between 0.2 and 5.8 mg/L,^[30] depending on the grape variety, because it is fermented with the skins, allowing the wine to absorb the resveratrol. By contrast, a white wine contains lower phenolic contents because it is fermented after removal of skins.

Wines produced from muscadine grapes may contain more than 40 mg/L, an exceptional phenolic content.^[25][31] In muscadine skins, ellagic acid, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and trans-resveratrol are major phenolics.^[32] Contrary to previous results, ellagic acid and not resveratrol is the major phenolic in muscadine grapes.

The flavonols syringetin, syringetin 3-O-galactoside, laricitrin and laricitrin 3-O-galactoside are also found in purple grape but absent in white grape.^[33]

Seed constituents

Main articles: Grape seed extract and Grape seed oil

Since the 1980s, biochemical and medical studies have demonstrated significant antioxidant properties of grape seed oligomeric proanthocyanidins.^[34] Together with tannins, polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, these seed constituents display inhibitory activities against several experimental disease models, including cancer, heart failure and other disorders of oxidative stress.^[35][36]

Grape seed oil from crushed seeds is used in cosmeceuticals and skincare products for many perceived health benefits. Grape seed oil is notable for its high contents of tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid.^[37][38][39]

Concord grape juice

Commercial juice products from Concord grapes have been applied in medical research studies, showing potential benefits against the onset stage of cancer,^[40] platelet aggregation and other risk factors of atherosclerosis,^[41] loss of physical performance and mental acuity during aging^[42] and hypertension in humans.^[43]

Religious significance

See also: Wine#Religious_uses

In the Bible, grapes are first mentioned when Noah grows them on his farm (Genesis 9:20-21). Instructions concerning wine are given in the book of Proverbs and in the book of Isaiah, such as in Proverbs 20:1 and Isaiah 5:20-25. Deuteronomy 18:3-5,14:22-27,16:13-15 tell of the use of wine during Jewish feasts. Grapes were also significant to both the Greeks and Romans, and their God of agriculture, Dionysus, was linked to grapes and wine, being frequently portrayed with grape leaves on his head.^[44] Grapes are especially significant for Christians, who since the Early Church have used wine in their celebration of the Eucharist.^[45] Views on the significance of the wine vary between denominations. In Christian art, grapes often represent the blood of Christ, such as the grape leaves in Caravaggio’s John the Baptist.

Gallery

• 

  Grapes - flower buds

• 

  Grapes - flowers

• 

  Grape fruits in a tender stage

• 

  Vineyard in the Troodos Mountains

See also

• Annual growth cycle of grapevines
• List of grape varieties
• Drakshasava

Sources

• Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (pdf)
• Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.

Footnotes

1. ^ Patrice This, Thierry Lacombe, Mark R. Thomash. "Historical Origins and Genetic Diversity of Wine Grapes". Trends in Genetics 22 (8). http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ballardh/pbio480/thisetal2006-winegrapegeneticdiversity.pdf. 
2. ^ Walker AR, Lee E, Bogs J, McDavid DA, Thomas MR, Robinson SP, AR (Mar 2007). "White grapes arose through the mutation of two similar and adjacent regulatory genes". Plant J 49 (5): 772–85. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2006.02997.x. ISSN 0960-7412. PMID 17316172. 
3. ^ Waterhouse AL, AL (May 2002). "Wine phenolics". Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 957: 21–36. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb02903.x. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 12074959. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/openurl?genre=article&sid=nlm:pubmed&issn=0077-8923&date=2002&volume=957&spage=21. 
4. ^ Brouillard R, Chassaing S, Fougerousse A, R (December 2003). "Why are grape/fresh wine anthocyanins so simple and why is it that red wine color lasts so long?". Phytochemistry 64 (7): 1179–86. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(03)00518-1. ISSN 0031-9422. PMID 14599515. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031942203005181. 
5. ^ "The most widely planted grape in the world". http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=29614. 
6. ^ "Wine Grapes and Grape-y Wines". http://www.wineloverspage.com/dibbern/grapetaste07.phtml. Retrieved 03/07/2010. 
7. ^ Reisch BI, Peterson DV, Martens M-H. "Seedless Grapes", in "Table Grape Varieties for Cool Climates", Information Bulletin 234, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, retrieved December 30, 2008
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Further reading

• Creasy, G.L. / Creasy, L.L. (2009). Grapes (Crop Production Science in Horticulture). CABI. ISBN 9781845934019

External links

Look up grape in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Grapes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grapes

• Taxonomic listings for Vitis genus, US Department of Agriculture, Germplasm Resources Information Network
• safecrop.org, Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Grapevine Downy and Powdery Mildew]
• Nutrition information for grapes
• Botanical and Nutritional Information
• Information on virus diseases of wine grapes

v d e Viticulture Biology and horticulture Grapes · Vitis · Vitis vinifera · Grape varieties · Identification and classification of grapevines (Ampelography) · Rootstock · Hybrids · Growth cycle · Ripening (Veraison) · Grapevine canopy · Grape Genomics · Vineyard Environmental variation Terroir · Topography (slope, aspect, elevation) · Soil · Climate · Macroclimate · Microclimate · Temperature · Drainage Vineyard planting Grapevine planting/propagation · Row orientation · Trellis design  · Vine training systems Vineyard management Pruning · Canopy · Irrigation · Erosion control · Fertilizing · Irrigation  · Pest control · Weed control · Frost damage prevention · Sunburn prevention · Prevention of uneven ripening (Millerandage) · Green harvest (Vendange verte) Harvest Harvest · Vintage · Weather · Sugar content (Brix) · Noble rot · Physiological ripeness  · Traditions and lore Pests and diseases Diseases · Phylloxera · Vine moth · Red spider mite · Nematodes · Birds · Powdery mildew · Downy mildew · Grey rot · Black rot · Pierce's disease Approaches and issues Precision viticulture · Adaptive management · Organic agriculture · Biodynamics · Sustainability · Environmental stewardship · Climate change See also Viticulture glossary · Wine glossary · Wine · Winemaking

v d e Sources of tannins Sources of condensed tannins Areca catechu seed (arecatannins) | Broad bean (Vicia faba) | Grape (Vitis vinifera) | Quebracho wood | Mimosa bark (Acacia mollissima) | Myrtan or black marlock (Eucalyptus redunca) Sources of hydrolysable tannins Chestnut wood | Dhawa (Anogeissus latifolia) | Myrobalan fruit (Terminalia chebula) | Oak wood, bark or acorn cup (Valonea Quercus macrolepis) | Sumac (Tanner's sumach leaves - Rhus coriaria or Chinese gall on Rhus chinensis) | Tara pod (Caesalpinia spinosa) Other sources Barks Alder (Alnus sp) | Avaram (Senna auriculata) | Babul (Acacia nilotica) | Birch (Betula sp) | Larch (Larix sp) | Hemlock (Tsuga sp) | mangrove | Pine (Pinus sp) | Spruce (Picea sp) | Urunday (Myracrodruon urundeuva) | Willow (Salix caprea) Leaves Badan (Bergenia crassifolia) | Gambier (Uncaria gambir) | Redoul (Coriaria myrtifolia) Roots Canaigre (Rumex hymenosepalus) | Garouille (Quercus coccifera) | Sea lavender (Limonium sp) Woods Cutch (Acacia catechu) Fruit Divi-divi pod (Caesalpinia coriaria) | Sant pod (Acacia nilotica) | Teri pod (Caesalpinia digyna) Galls Gall oak (Quercus lusitanica) Whole plant Prosopis sp. bark and wood (eg Prosopis humilis or Algarrobilla) | Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) | Tizra heartwood and root (Rhus pentaphylla) Misc Tanbark

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - vindrue, drue

idioms:

• grape shot    kartæske

Nederlands (Dutch)
druif, wijn, schroot, hielbeengezwel (paard)

Français (French)
n. - raisin, grain de raisin

idioms:

• grape shot    (Mil) mitraille

Deutsch (German)
n. - Weintraube, Weinbeere

idioms:

• grape shot    (Mil) Kartätsche

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σταφύλι, ρώγα, κλήμα, σκούρο μοβ χρώμα

idioms:

• grape shot    χοντρά σκάγια

Italiano (Italian)
grappolo

idioms:

• grape shot    mitraglia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - uva (f) (Bot.), videira (f) (Bot.)

idioms:

• grape shot    metralha (f) (de canhão) (Mil.)

Русский (Russian)
виноград, виноградина, гроздь, красновато-лиловый цвет

idioms:

• grape shot    шрапнель

Español (Spanish)
n. - uva

idioms:

• grape shot    metralla

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - vindruva

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
葡萄, 葡萄树

idioms:

• grape shot    葡萄弹

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 葡萄, 葡萄樹

idioms:

• grape shot    葡萄彈

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 포도, 포도 나무

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ブドウ, ブドウの木

idioms:

• grape shot    ぶどう弾

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عنب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ענב‬

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