Genus Vitis – Family Vitaceae

The genus includes 70 species of woody, climbing shrubs, up to 3 meters tall, equipped with tendrils.

The shoots are divided into nodes and internodes: at the nodes, buds and a leaf grow on one side, and a tendril or a cluster on the other.

The leaves are deciduous, palmately lobed, petiolate, alternate, with the lower surface lighter and more tomentose than the upper surface.

The flowers are grouped in clusters with 5 yellowish-green petals.

The fruits are berries arranged in clusters; the berries (called grapes) are fleshy and round, containing 2 or 4 pear-shaped seeds.

USES

The species has been used for winemaking since the 1st millennium B.C. Currently, new varieties are grafted onto American vines, which make them resistant to grapevine phylloxera. The cultivated varieties are divided into table grapes, wine grapes, and drying grapes.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

A species native to the Mediterranean basin.