fruit

Lives and Grapes

Grapes in history

In ancient times, the grape was recommended as a powerful antidote against psychophysical stress associated with anxieties, worries and fatigue, effective especially when the grape juice was mixed with rosemary twigs. Currently, the grape has been re-evaluated in a positive key: it has been observed that this fruit is a real resource in all respects, whose use ranges from the cosmetic field to phytotherapy, from food to the doctor.

Symbol of autumn and of the god Bacchus, the vine plant, with its bunches of grapes, has always been appreciated and appreciated thanks to the sweetness of its fruits, unique organoleptic qualities, good energy-nutritional supply and, above all, of the medicinal virtues related to the precious substances contained in the berries and in the leaves.

Origin, diffusion and variety

It is possible to see spontaneous vines in many areas of southern Europe and western Asia; globally, there are numerous varieties of grapes, over 8, 000, of which about 1, 600 are cultivated in typically temperate climatic zones. However, despite the countless varieties, a note of merit undoubtedly belongs to Vitis vinifera, from which all the Italian grape varieties for table grapes and wine grapes derive. Another species worthy of mention is the typically American Vitis labrusca, grown in Italy - albeit marginally - as a table grape.

We focus on the most important species: Vitis vinifera is divided into two large subspecies, V. vinifera subsp . Vinifera (in turn cataloged in numerous cultivars) and V. vinifera subsp . Sylvestris (a widespread spontaneous subspecies, even if it has no agronomic interest).

Botanical description

The grape is the fruit of Vitis vinifera, a fruticose plant belonging to the Vitaceae family: more precisely, we are talking about a climbing shrub, with a rather irregular natural bearing, with few branches; the branches are greyish or brown, depending on the age of the plant. The strength and resistance of the stem and branches is strongly conditioned by the rootstock.

In botanical terms, the leaves of the vine are vine leaves: they are petiolate leaves, presenting a whole, trilobed or penta-lobed (only rarely, the leaves have 7-9 lobes). The development of the leaves is closely related to the rootstock; the surface of the leaves is generally glabrous, although some of these may have a thin layer of down, while the margin is irregular and toothed. The leaves are bright green during spring; their color changes from yellow to reddish in autumn, as a result of the loss of chlorophyll.

The vine flowers - grouped in panicle inflorescences, at first erect and only subsequently pendulous - are green and small, inconspicuous and are arranged around a branched spine in lateral axes.

The most interesting element that distinguishes the vine is certainly the fruit: grapes. The berry is a berry with a color that varies from straw yellow to greenish, from pink to red, from violet to black, depending on the species considered. It is good to point out that the color of the grapes does not depend only on the variety: it is in fact also influenced by the environmental conditions and the sun exposure (it is not by chance that the vine is said to be a heliophilous plant, which loves the sun ).

What is commonly called grape peel, in botany is the cuticle, glabrous, fragile and thin. The berries, grouped in clusters of changing dimensions (most of the times, have a conical, pyramidal or cylindrical shape), are generally roundish or elliptical.

The length of the bunches of grapes (10-40cm), like the weight (150-300 g for wine grapes, 200-500 grams for table grapes), varies according to quality; however, once again, the growth of the bunch is heavily influenced by climatic conditions.

The central axis of the bunch of grapes is called rachis or rasp, which branches into multiple branches and pedicels.

The berries can contain some seeds embedded in the pulp (potentially toxic in high quantities due to the presence of hydrocyanic acid): in some varieties (eg sultanas) the absence of seeds is a distinctive feature. We speak, however, of anomaly when the seeds, generally present, are not found inside the berries of a given species.

Grapes: variety

As we have seen, there are very many varieties of grapes; above all it is good to distinguish table grapes and wine grapes. Table grapes have berries with a thin skin and firm flesh: these include the Baresana, Cardinal, Isabella, Moscato d'Adda Regina and Zibibbo grapes , etc. [taken from www.agraria.org]

The grape variety used for the wine differs from the previous one for the thicker and leathery bark, and the tender and succulent pulp.

The white grape has a golden color, made such by the flavones present (quercitrin and quercetin). The black grape is dark because its chemical composition includes anthocyanins and anthocyanosides, including delfinidin, petunidin and malvidin: this variety is probably the best known for its strong antioxidant properties.

Also the red vine shows very colored clusters: the red depends, once again, on the pigments (anthocyanosides) present in the grapes.