The Wine Grape - The King Of All Grapes


Defined Tag: Wine Grape.

There are two different forms of grapes that most of us know about and that is the wine grape and the table version.  The table version is the one that we eat just like any other fruit and the other is what is used to make alcoholic beverages such as the reds and whites that we love to drink.  Of course there are different versions of wines and they are not all made from grapes.  For example there is sake which comes from rice plus there are many others that come from different fruits such as plums, blackcurrent and many more.

What makes grapes so special? It grows on a woody vine of the plant family called Vitaceae. A crop of these is called a vineyard, and the cultivation of grapes for making alcohol is called viticulture. This fruit grows in bunches or clusters of up to 300 individual grapes. Each one contains a seed, except for certain seedless varieties. These varieties can range in color from black to red to white. They can be eaten raw, or processed to make jams, jellies, and juices. The seeds can be crushed to make grape seed oil, and the fruits can be fermented to make alcohol.

How did the process begin? It was probably an accident, as are many such discoveries. Imagine a tub or barrel of harvested fruit that was forgotten. The farmer returned a couple of weeks later and tasted the aromatic liquid in the bottom of the barrel. This accident was possible because the fruit contains the perfect composition to naturally ferment without adding extra sugars, enzymes, or additives. After the farmer's first taste, the art of winemaking may have been born.

The type of fruit that ferments will greatly determine the smell, taste, and alcohol content of the end result. Particular varieties of this type of fruit called varietals became associated with the wines they produce. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon fruit produce red Bordeaux, while red Burgundy comes from Pinot Noir fruit. Multiple hybrids of these fruits exist, created to produce enough bottles to fill even the largest wine rack.

Even though this type of fruit comes in a small form it produces one of the largest fruit based business in the world.  It plays an even larger role in the economy of many countries. You will find that this fruit can be used in many ways such as in juice, jam, jelly, wine, grapeseed oil, and of course the kitchen fruit bowls. However, the wine grape would have to have the biggest impact on the economy.