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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Grape
| image = Close up grapes.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Wine Grapes
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Vitales]]
| familia = [[Vitaceae]]
| genus = '''''Vitis'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
''[[Vitis acerifolia]]''<br />
''[[Vitis aestivalis]]''<br />
''[[Vitis amurensis]]''<br />
''[[Vitis arizonica]]''<br />
''[[Vitis x bourquina]]''<br />
''[[Vitis californica]]''<br />
''[[Vitis x champinii]]''<br />
''[[Vitis cinerea]]''<br />
''[[Vitis x doaniana]]''<br />
''[[Vitis girdiana]]''<br />
''[[Vitis labrusca]]''<br />
''[[Vitis x labruscana]]''<br />
''[[Vitis lincecumii]]<br />
''[[Vitis monticola]]''<br />
''[[Vitis mustangensis]]''<br />
''[[Vitis x novae-angliae]]''<br />
''[[Vitis palmata]]''<br />
''[[Vitis riparia]]''<br />
''[[Vitis rotundifolia]]''<br />
''[[Vitis rupestris]]''<br />
''[[Vitis shuttleworthii]]''<br />
''[[Vitis tiliifolia]]''<br />
''[[Vitis vinifera]]''<br />
''[[Vitis vulpina]]''
}}
{{wiktionarypar|grape}}
{{For|the computer programming environment|GRAPE}}

A '''grape''' is the [[fruit]] that grows on the woody [[vine]]s of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Vitaceae]]. Grapes grow in clusters of 6 to 300, and can be black, blue, golden, green, purple, red, pink, brown, peach or white. They can be eaten raw or used for making [[jam]], [[grape juice]], [[jelly]], [[wine]] and [[grape seed oil]]. Cultivation of grapevines occurs in [[vineyard]]s, and is called [[viticulture]]. One who studies and practices growing grapes for wine is called a viticulturist.

[[Raisin]]s are the dried fruit of the grapevine, and the name actually comes from the French word for "grape". Wild grapevines are often considered a nuisance weed, as they cover other plants with their usually rather aggressive growth.

The leaves of the grape vine itself are considered edible and are used in the production of [[dolmades]].

Grapevines are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on grapevines]]''.

== Grapevines ==
Many species of grapevines exist, including:

*''[[Vitis vinifera]]'', the European [[winemaking]] grapevine. Native to virtually all of mainland Europe.
*''[[Vitis labrusca]]'', the North American table and grape juice grapevines, sometimes used for wine. Native to the [[Eastern U.S.]] and [[Canada]].
*''[[Vitis riparia]]'', a wild vine of [[North America]], sometimes used for winemaking and for jam. Native to the entire [[Eastern U.S.]] and north to [[Quebec]].
*''[[Vitis rotundifolia]]'', the [[muscadine]]s, used for jams and wine. Native to the [[Southeastern U.S.]] from [[Delaware]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]].
*''[[Vitis aestivalis]]'', the variety Norton (AKA Cynthiana) is used for winemaking
*''[[Vitis lincecumii]]'' (also called ''Vitis aestivalis'' or ''Vitis lincecumii''), ''[[Vitis berlandieri]]'' (also called ''Vitis cinerea'' var. helleri), ''[[Vitis cinerea]]'', ''[[Vitis rupestris]]'' are used for making hybrid grapevines and for pest-resistant [[rootstock]]s.
*''[[Vitis arizonica]]'' A desert grapevine found in the southwestern US that is hardy against extremes of temperature. Can be used for wines.
*''[[Vitis californica]]'' A grapevine important to the California wine industry for its rootstock which is able to withstand pests and cooler weather. Native to [[California]] and [[Oregon]].
*''[[Vitis vulpina]]'' Frost grape. Native to the [[Midwest]] east to the coast up through [[New York]].
There are many [[List of grape varieties|varieties]] of grapevines; most are cultivars of ''V. vinifera''.

[[Hybrids|Hybrid grapes]] also exist, and these are primarily crosses between ''[[Vitis vinifera|V. vinifera]]'' and one or more varieties of ''[[Vitis labrusca|V. labrusca]]'', ''[[Vitis riparia|V. riparia]]'' or ''[[Vitis aestivalis|V. aestivalis]]''. Hybrids tend to be less susceptible to frost a
nd disease (notably [[phylloxera]]), but wine from some hybrids may have a little of the characteristic "foxy" odor of ''[[Vitis labrusca|labrusca]]''.

The [[sea grape]] ''[[Coccoloba uvifera]]'' is actually a member of the Buckwheat family ''[[Polygonaceae]]'' and is native to the lands of the [[Caribbean Sea]].

According to the "Food and Agriculture Organization" (FAO), 75,866 square kilometres of the world is 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 used as a sweetener for fruits canned "with no added sugar" and "100% natural". The area dedicated to vineyards is increasing by about 2% per year. <!-- references needed: Popularity for the purple grape has increased tremendously over the past decade. In March 2006, the purple grape reached its peak in popularity by being preferred 83% of the time over green grapes in a University of Michigan poll. -->
[[Image:GrapeField.jpg|thumb|250px|Grapevines]]
The following list of top wine-producers shows the corresponding areas dedicated to grapes for wine making:
*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
*Australia 1,642 km²

Sources: FAO, [http://news.reseau-concept.net/images/oiv_uk/Client/Stat_2002_def2_EN.pdf Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (pdf)], [https://www.awbc.com.au/winefacts/data/free.asp?subcatid=102 Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation].

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.[http://www.virginia.edu/bmg/faculty/mayo/mayo.html] This phenomenon has been named the [[French Paradox]]. Many scientists now believe the reason is the greater consumption of red wine in France. Something in the grape helps to lower cholesterol levels in the body and thus slows the build up of deposits in the arteries. Compounds such as [[resveratrol]] (a [[polyphenol antioxidant]]) have been discovered in grapes and these have been positively linked to fighting cancer, [[heart disease]], degenerative [[nerve]] disease and other ailments. Doctors do not recommend excessive consumption of red wine, but three or four glasses a week is beneficial and encouraged.

Red or not, grapes of all colors offer comparable benefits. Red [[wine]] offers health benefits not found in white wine, because many of the beneficial compounds are found in the skins of the grapes, and only red wine is fermented with the skins.


== Raisins, currants, and sultanas ==
A ''[[raisin]]'' is any dried grape. A ''[[Zante currant|currant]]'' is a dried [[Zakynthos|Zante]] grape, the name being a corruption of the [[French language|French]] ''raisin de Corinthe'' ([[Corinth]] grape). A ''[[sultana (grape)|sultana]]'' was originally a raisin made from a specific type of grape of Turkish origin, but the word is now applied to raisins made from common North American grapes and chemically treated to resemble the traditional sultana.

Note that, while ''raisin'' is a French [[loanword]], the word in French refers to the fresh fruit; ''grappe'' (from whence the English ''grape'') refers to the bunch (as in ''une grappe de raisin''). As ''raisin'' is uncountable in French, a single grape is a ''grain de raisin.''

Note also that ''currant'' has come to refer also to the [[blackcurrant]] and [[redcurrant]], two berries completely unrelated to grapes.

== Seedlessness ==
Seedlessness is a highly desirable trait in table grape selection, and seedless cultivars now make up the overwhelming majority of table grape plantings. Because grapevines are [[Vegetative reproduction|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 resc
ue embryos early in development using [[Plant tissue culture|tissue culture]] techniques. There are several sources of the seedlessness trait, and essentially all commercial cultivars get it from one of three sources: Thompson Seedless, Russian Seedless, and Black Monukka. All are members of ''[[Vitis vinifera]]''.

==Resveratrol==
{{main|Resveratrol}}
[[Resveratrol]] is produced by several plants, apparently for its [[antifungal drug|antifungal]] properties. It is found in widely varying amounts in grapes, primarily the skins and seeds. This is particularly true for muscadine grapes, whose skin and seeds have about one hundred times the concentration as the pulp.[http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-01202006-082858/] The amount found in grape skins also varies with the grape cultivar, its geographic origin, and exposure to fungal infection. The amount of fermentation time a wine spends in contact with grape skins is an important determinant of its resveratrol content.[http://www.pbrc.edu/Division_of_Education/pdf/PNS_resveratrol.pdf]

Fresh grape skin contains about 50 to 100 micrograms of resveratrol per gram.[http://www.mercola.com/2004/jun/9/grape_skin.htm] Ordinary non-[[muscadine]] [[red wine]] contains between 0.2 and 5.8 mg/L <ref> Gu X, Creasy L, Kester A, et al., Capillary electrophoretic determination of resveratrol in wines. J Agric Food Chem 47:3323-3277, 1999</ref>, depending on the grape variety, while white wine has much less - the reason being that red wine is [[fermentation (food)|fermented]] with the skins, allowing the wine to absorb the resveratrol, whereas [[white wine]] is fermented after the skin has been removed. Wines produced from [[muscadine]] grapes, however, both red and white, may contain more than 40 mg/L.<ref> Ector BJ, Magee JB, Hegwood CP, Coign MJ. Resveratrol Concentration in Muscadine Berries, Juice, Pomace, Purees, Seeds, and Wines. http://www.ajevonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/47/1/57</ref>.
[http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-01202006-082858/unrestricted/LeBlanc_dis.pdf]



==Diseases==
{{Main|List of grape diseases}}

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:Grape 00005.jpg
Image:Grapes05.jpg|A bunch of grapes
Image:Autumn Royal grapes.jpg|Autumn Royal grapes
Image:Ripe grapes.jpg|Red and green grapes
Image:More grapes.jpg|Red grapes
Image:Flame seedless grapes.jpg|Flame seedless grapes
Image:Concord grape plant.jpg|Foliage of the Concord grape plant
Image:Grapevinefoliage.jpg|Foliage of the New England wild grape
Image:Young grapes.jpg|Young grapes
Image:Chehalem_pinot_noir_grapes.jpg|Pinot Noir grapes
Image:Grapesontable.JPG|More Red grapes
Image:Wine grapes baja.jpg|Guadalupe Valley Vineyards, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico / '''''Viñedos del Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada, Baja California, México'''''
Image:Uvas.jpg|Guadalupe Valley Vineyards, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico / '''''Viñedos del Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada, Baja California, México'''''
Image:ConcordGrapes1.jpg|Concord grapes on the vine
Image:ConcordGrapes2.jpg|Ripe concord grapes (near) and unripe concord grapes (far). Unripe grapes can be made into [[verjuice]].
Image:Geneva Grapevine.JPG|A vineyard in the [[Canton of Geneva]].
Image:GreenGrapes.jpg|A bunch of green grapes.
</gallery></center>



==References==
<references />

==See also==
*[[List of grape varieties]]
*[[Grape and raisin toxicity in dogs]]

==External links==
{{commons|Grape}}
* [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=28600 Integrated Taxonomic Information System entry for Grape family]
* [http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/agrista/2004/table_en/4611.pdf Area under vine (pdf)]
* [http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/wild_grape.htm Wild Grapes]
* [http://www.twis.info/grapes.php 300 Grape Varieties for Wine]
* [http://encyclowine.org/index.php/Main_Page Wine Wiki]

[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Vitales]]
[[Category:Viticulture]]