Vine

Profile

Family

Vitaceae

Habit

Climber

Height

17.5 m

Spread

2 m

Growth

very fast

Lifespan

300 years

First yield

after 2 years

Hardiness

zone 6–11

Shade tolerance

partial shade

Soil

Sand, Silt, Loam

Soil moisture

dry – very moist

pH

5 – 7.5

Synonyms

Weintraube, Weintrauben

Planned in gardens

21×

Flowering & harvest

Times apply to the northern hemisphere in a temperate climate and shift with altitude and cultivar.

Uses

Edible: Fruit - fresh or dried for winter. Dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, and currants are commonly available. Fresh fruits are sweet, juicy, and delicious. Their juice can be used as a sweetener and is often used in winemaking. The leaves can be cooked, adding a pleasant flavor to other foods. Young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. The flower clusters are used as a vegetable. A cooking oil similar to sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds. It is suitable for mayonnaise and frying. The juice can be enjoyed raw as a drink, has a sweet taste, and should not be consumed in large quantities as it weakens the plant. The roasted seeds can serve as a coffee substitute. Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate, is obtained from the residues of pressed grapes and wine barrels and used in baking powder.

Medicinal: Grapes are a healthy and mildly laxative fruit that can support the body in gastrointestinal and liver conditions. Due to their nutrient content resembling that of blood plasma, grape fasting is recommended for detoxification. The fresh fruit has anti-inflammatory, cooling, diuretic, and strengthening properties. A diet mainly consisting of fruits can be particularly helpful in cases of liver atrophy or sluggish bile function. Dried grapes have soothing, cooling, mildly expectorant, laxative, and stomach-strengthening effects. They can also aid in relieving coughs. The leaves, especially red ones, possess anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. An infusion of the leaves is used to treat various conditions such as threatened miscarriage, internal and external bleeding, cholera, dropsy, diarrhea, and nausea. Red grape leaves are also beneficial for varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and capillary fragility. The leaves are harvested in early summer and used fresh or dried. The seeds have anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. The juice of young branches is diuretic and is used as a remedy for skin diseases. The tendrils are astringent, and a decoction is used to treat diarrhea. Grapes are also used in Bach flower remedies to address dominance and inflexibility.

Other uses: A yellow dye can be extracted from the fresh or dried leaves of the plant. The oil from the seeds is utilized as fuel and as an ingredient in soaps and paints. Tartar, obtained from the residues of pressed grapes, is used in the production of fluxes for soldering. The stems of very old vines can grow to a considerable size in warmer regions and provide highly durable wood.

Growing

Prefers a deep, fertile, moderately moist, well-drained loamy soil, ideally calcareous but not excessively chalky. The pH range is between 5 and 7.5. Thrives best in a warm, sunny, and sheltered location but can tolerate partial shade. Adequate warmth is necessary for proper fruit ripening. The vine climbs using tendrils and requires suitable support. Plant spacing should allow good air circulation. Pruning is done in winter during dormancy to reduce sap bleeding. The vine develops a deep, branched root system and can grow up to 17 meters tall. It withstands winter temperatures down to about -20 degrees Celsius. In Central Europe, fruit ripening depends on the variety and microclimate, so warm-loving cultivars are recommended in sheltered spots. Susceptible to: Powdery mildew (fungal disease), Downy mildew (fungal disease), Grape vine moth (larvae), Phylloxera (root aphid), Botrytis cinerea (grey mold).

Propagation

Sow seeds in a cold frame once they are ripe, preferably with a six-week cold stratification to improve germination rates. If using stored seeds, sow them immediately in a cold frame upon receipt. Germination may occur in the first spring but can sometimes take an additional 12 months. Transplant seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and let them grow in a cold frame over the first winter. Plant them out in early summer. Take hardwood cuttings from the current year's growth in December/January in a frame. These cuttings can be 15-30 cm long or short sections of the stem about 5 cm long with a single bud at the top. For the latter, remove a thin strip of bark about 3 cm long from the lower half of the stem's side to promote callus and root formation. Due to their size, these cuttings need a more sheltered environment. Layering.

Notable

Special characteristics: sun and heat-loving, best planted against a south-west wall; offered grapevines are mostly hybrids with V. labrusca, V. riparia, etc.; a 400-year-old grapevine still yields 35-55kg of grapes annually; Varietal breeding determines use for fruit, raisins, or wine; =+ high-yielding 'Blue American'; Pruning +in winter.

Origin & habitat

E. Europe. Naturalized in a European country.

Fluvial deposits on rocks and stony slopes. Occasionally found as a weed on wasteland. It is particularly common as a weed on nitrogen-rich soils near human settlements.

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