Grape

Audio Narration

Transcript

The common grape vine has the botanical name: Vitis vinifera, and is native to the mediterranean and central Europe, there are currently 5,000 to 10,000 varieties of grapes, though only a few are commercially significant for wine and table grape production.

Several species of north American grapes are also economically important. Varieties of fox grape, Vitis labrusca, from which concord grapes and other slipskin grapes are derived, are grown as table grapes or are used for grape jelly, grape flavouring and grape juice. Summer grapes Vitis aestivalis, is thought to be the oldest American grape cultivar. Of the many thousands of domesticated grape varieties, only three varieties account for most of the raising production.

Pruning is the most important vineyard operation. Training is necessary to develop a vine of desirable form. It is accomplished by pruning the young vine and then tying both it and its growth to a support. Every year, 90 to 95 percent or more of the year’s growth is removed, leaving the spurs or fruit canes or both for next year.

All the familiar wine varieties belong to Vitis vinifera, which is cultivated on every continent and in all the major wine regions of the world. The earliest evidence of domesticated grape production was found in southeastern Georgia, in Eastern Europe. Carbon dating points to the date of about 6,000 BC.

There are pictures of four varieties of dried raisins along the bottom of the sign. Can you name these varieties raisins?

Try to guess the age of this grape vine growing on the wooden arbour in front of you! Anders and Dorrit built their house here in the 1980s and likely planted this grape vine around that time.