{{Short description|Genus flowering plants in the grape family Vitaceae}} {{Other uses|Vitis (disambiguation)}} {{Redirect|Grapevine|other uses}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|66|0}}Cretaceous<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McIver |first=Elisabeth E |date=2002 |title=The paleoenvironment of Tyrannosaurus rex from southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/e01-073 |journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=207–221 |doi=10.1139/e01-073 |bibcode=2002CaJES..39..207M |issn=0008-4077}}</ref>- Recent | image = Vitis californica with grapes.jpg | image_caption = ''Vitis californica'' with fruit | taxon = Vitis | authority = L.<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:325876-2 |title=''Vitis'' L. |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2025 |access-date=9 December 2025}}</ref><ref name=vitis>{{PLANTS|symbol=VITIS|taxon=Vitis L.|access-date=7 June 2022}}</ref> | type_species = Vitis vinifera | type_species_authority = L.<ref name="IPNI">{{cite web |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/325876-2 |title=''Vitis'' L., Sp. Pl. [Linnaeus] 1: 202 (1753) |website=International Plant Names Index (IPNI) |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2025 |access-date=9 December 2025}}</ref> |synonyms = {{species list|header=22 synonyms|hidden=yes |Allosampela |Raf. |Ampelovitis |Carrière |Berberina |Bronner |Dionysia |Bronner |Dioscoridea |Bronner |Elisabetha |Bronner |Gockia |Bronner |Gonoloma |Raf. |Heddaea |Bronner |Hlubeckia |Bronner |Leonhardia |Bronner |Ludovica |Bronner |Maerklinia |Bronner |Muscadinia |Small |Noachia |Bronner |Palatina |Bronner |Schamsia |Bronner |Sickleria |Bronner |Spinovitis |Rom.Caill. |Thalesia |Bronner |Tyrtamia |Bronner |Zaehringia |Bronner }} |synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}} |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = ''See text'' |subdivision_ref = {{R|POWO}} }}
'''''Vitis''''' ('''grapevine''') is a genus of about 80 species of twining plants in the family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce wine. The study and cultivation of grapevines is called viticulture.
Most cultivated ''Vitis'' varieties are wind-pollinated with hermaphroditic flowers containing both male and female reproductive structures, while wild species are dioecious. These flowers are grouped in bunches called inflorescences. In many species, such as ''Vitis vinifera'', each successfully pollinated flower becomes a grape berry with the inflorescence turning into a cluster of grapes. While the flowers of the grapevines are usually very small, the berries are often large and brightly colored with sweet flavors that attract birds and other animals to disperse the seeds contained within the berries.<ref name="WSET">Wine & Spirits Education Trust ''"Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality"'' pgs 2-5, Second Revised Edition (2012), London, {{ISBN|9781905819157}}</ref>
Grapevines usually only produce fruit on shoots that came from buds that were developed during the previous growing season. In viticulture, this is one of the principles behind pruning the previous year's growth (or "One year old wood") that includes shoots that have turned hard and woody during the winter (after harvest in commercial viticulture). These vines will be pruned either into a cane which will support 8 to 15 buds or to a smaller spur which holds 2 to 3 buds.<ref name="WSET"/>
==Description== left|thumb|upright|Developing inflorescences of ''Vitis vinifera'' In the wild, all species of ''Vitis'' are normally dioecious, but under domestication, variants with perfect flowers appear to have been selected. Flower buds are formed late in the growing season and overwinter for blooming in the spring of the next year. They produce leaf-opposed cymes. Vitis is distinguished from other genera in the Vitaceae family by its petals, which remain joined at the tip and detach from the base to fall off together as a calyptra or 'cap'. The flowers are pentamerous. The calyx is greatly reduced or nonexistent in most species. The fruit is a berry in botanical terms, ovoid in shape and juicy, with a two-celled ovary each containing two ovules, thus normally producing four seeds per flower (or fewer by way of aborted embryos).<ref>Gleason and Cronquist volume 2, ''New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada'', p. 517. {{LCCN|6316478}}</ref>
Other parts of the vine include the tendrils which are leaf-opposed, branched in ''Vitis vinifera'', and support the climbing plant by twining around surrounding structures such as branches or the trellising of a vine-training system.
The genus ''Vitis'' is divided into two subgenera, ''Euvitis'' Planch. have 38 chromosomes (n=19) with berries borne on clusters<ref name=Kew2CDNA>{{cite web |first1=M.D. |last1=Bennett |first2=I.J. |last2=Leitch |date=2012 |url=http://www.data.kew.org/cvalues/ |title=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Plant DNA C-values database, release 6.0 |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=2016-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319150604/http://data.kew.org/cvalues/ |archive-date=2016-03-19 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Muscadinia'' Planch. 40 (n=20) with small clusters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/vitis-rotundifolia-muscadine-grape-scuppernong-11-13-2015.aspx|title=Vitis rotundifolia Muscadine Grape, Scuppernong|website=Plant of the Week: Vitis rotundifolia Muscadine Grape, Scuppernong|publisher=University of Arkansas|language=en|access-date=2019-08-06|archive-date=2019-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806125727/https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/vitis-rotundifolia-muscadine-grape-scuppernong-11-13-2015.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Lu Lamikanra 1996 pp. 269–271">{{cite journal | last1=Lu | first1=Jiang | last2=Lamikanra | first2=Olusola | title=Barriers to Intersubgeneric Crosses between Muscadinia and Euvitis | journal=HortScience | publisher=American Society for Horticultural Science | volume=31 | issue=2 | year=1996 | issn=0018-5345 | doi=10.21273/hortsci.31.2.269 | pages=269–271| doi-access=free}}</ref>
Wild grapes can resemble the single-seeded ''Menispermum canadense'' (moonseed), which is toxic.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |others=United States Department of the Army |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=118 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}</ref>
==Species== [[File:Ornamental grape.jpg|thumb|left|''Vitis coignetiae'' with autumn leaves]] Most ''Vitis'' species are found mostly in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in North America and eastern Asia, exceptions being a few in the tropics and the wine grape ''Vitis vinifera'' which originated in southern Europe and southwestern Asia. Grape species occur in widely different geographical areas and show a great diversity of form.
Their growth makes leaf collection challenging and polymorphic leaves make identification of species difficult. Mature grapevines can grow up to {{Convert|48|cm|abbr=off}} in diameter and reach the upper canopy of trees more than {{Convert|35|m|abbr=off}} tall.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1364&context=plantpathpapers|title=Upper Canopy Collection and Identification of Grapevines (''Vitis'') from Selected Forests in the Southeastern United States|journal=Castanea (From University of Nebraska Digital Commons)|volume=75|issue=1|pages=141–149|year=2010|author=Everhart SE}}</ref>
Many species are sufficiently closely related to allow easy interbreeding and the resultant interspecific hybrids are invariably fertile and vigorous. Thus the concept of a species is less well defined and more likely represents the identification of different ecotypes of ''Vitis'' that have evolved in distinct geographical and environmental circumstances.
The exact number of species is not certain. Plants of the World Online states 80 species and three hybrids are accepted.<ref name=POWO/> More than 65 species in Asia are poorly defined.<ref>{{cite book |last=Galet |first=Pierre |title=Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages |year=2000 |publisher=Hachette Pratique |isbn=2-01-236331-8}}</ref> Approximately 25 species are known in North America, and these were studied extensively in the late 1800s by German-American botanist George Englemann.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Hannickel |first=Erica |date=2023-10-20 |title=Vitis, Wine, and Medicine: The Other Careers of George Engelmann (1809–1884) |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123423861 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=108 |pages=465–478 |doi=10.3417/2023812|bibcode=2023AnMBG.108..465H |url-access=subscription }}</ref> By contrast, just one, ''V. vinifera'' has Eurasian origins.<ref>{{cite news|title=Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties |year=2017 | publisher=OIV - International Organization of Vine and Wine |location=Paris |isbn=979-10-91799-89-8 |url=http://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf}}</ref>
{{As of|2025|12}}, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 83 species:{{R|POWO}} {{columns-list|colwidth=18em| *''Vitis acerifolia'' {{small|Raf.}} *''Vitis aestivalis'' {{small|Michx.}} *''Vitis amoena'' {{small|Z.H.Chen, Feng Chen & W.Y.Xie}} *''Vitis amurensis'' {{small|Rupr.}} *''Vitis arizonica'' {{small|Engelm.}} *''Vitis baihuashanensis'' {{small|M.S.Kang & D.Z.Lu}} *''Vitis balansana'' {{small|Planch.}} *''Vitis bashanica'' {{small|P.C.He}} *''Vitis bellula'' {{small|(Rehder) W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis berlandieri'' {{small|Planch.}} *''Vitis betulifolia'' {{small|Diels & Gilg}} *''Vitis biformis'' {{small|Rose}} *''Vitis blancoi'' {{small|Munson}} *''Vitis bloodworthiana'' {{small|Comeaux}} *''Vitis bourgaeana'' {{small|Planch.}} *''Vitis bryoniifolia'' {{small|Bunge}} *''Vitis californica'' {{small|Benth.}} *''Vitis'' × ''champinii'' {{small|Planch.}} *''Vitis chunganensis'' {{small|Hu}} *''Vitis chungii'' {{small|F.P.Metcalf}} *''Vitis cinerea'' {{small|(Engelm.) Millardet}} *''Vitis coignetiae'' {{small|Pulliat ex Planch.}} *''Vitis davidii'' {{small|(Rom.Caill.) Foëx}} *''Vitis'' × ''doaniana'' {{small|Munson ex Viala}} *''Vitis erythrophylla'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis fengqinensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis ficifolia'' {{small|Bunge}} *''Vitis flavicosta'' {{small|Mickel & Beitel}} *''Vitis flexuosa'' {{small|Thunb.}} *''Vitis girdiana'' {{small|Munson}} *''Vitis hancockii'' {{small|Hance}} *''Vitis heyneana'' {{small|Schult.}} *''Vitis hissarica'' {{small|Vassilcz.}} *''Vitis hui'' {{small|W.C.Cheng}} *''Vitis jaegeriana'' {{small|Comeaux}} *''Vitis jinggangensis'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis jinzhainensis'' {{small|X.S.Shen}} *''Vitis kaihuaica'' {{small|Z.H.Chen, Feng Chen & W.Y.Xie}} *''Vitis kiusiana'' {{small|Momiy.}} *''Vitis labrusca'' {{small|L.}} *''Vitis lanceolatifoliosa'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis longquanensis'' {{small|P.L.Chiu}} *''Vitis luochengensis'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis menghaiensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis mengziensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis monticola'' {{small|Buckley}} *''Vitis mustangensis'' {{small|Buckley}} *''Vitis nesbittiana'' {{small|Comeaux}} *''Vitis'' × ''novae-angliae'' {{small|Fernald}} *''Vitis novogranatensis'' {{small|Moldenke}} *''Vitis nuristanica'' {{small|Vassilcz.}} *''Vitis palmata'' {{small|Vahl}} *''Vitis pedicellata'' {{small|M.A.Lawson}} *''Vitis peninsularis'' {{small|M.E.Jones}} *''Vitis piasezkii'' {{small|Maxim.}} *''Vitis pilosonervia'' {{small|F.P.Metcalf}} *''Vitis popenoei'' {{small|J.L.Fennell}} *''Vitis pseudoreticulata'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis qinlingensis'' {{small|P.C.He}} *''Vitis retordii'' {{small|Rom.Caill. ex Planch.}} *''Vitis riparia'' {{small|Michx.}} *''Vitis romanetii'' {{small|Rom.Caill.}} *''Vitis rotundifolia'' {{small|Michx.}} *''Vitis rupestris'' {{small|Scheele}} *''Vitis ruyuanensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis saccharifera'' {{small|Makino}} *''Vitis shenxiensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis shizishanensis'' {{small|Z.Y.Ma, J.Wen, Q.Fu & X.Q.Liu}} *''Vitis shuttleworthii'' {{small|House}} *''Vitis silvestrii'' {{small|Pamp.}} *''Vitis sinocinerea'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis sinoternata'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis tiliifolia'' {{small|Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult.}} *''Vitis tsoi'' {{small|Merr.}} *''Vitis vinifera'' {{small|L.}} *''Vitis vulpina'' {{small|L.}} *''Vitis wenchowensis'' {{small|C.Ling}} *''Vitis wenxianensis'' {{small|W.T.Wang}} *''Vitis wilsoniae'' {{small|H.J.Veitch}} *''Vitis wuhanensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis xunyangensis'' {{small|P.C.He}} *''Vitis yunnanensis'' {{small|C.L.Li}} *''Vitis zhejiang-adstricta'' {{small|P.L.Chiu}} }}
There are many cultivars of grapevines; most are cultivars of ''V. vinifera'', including Vitis 'Ornamental Grape'.{{Citation needed|reason=|date=December 2025}}
Hybrid grapes also exist, and these are primarily crosses between ''V. vinifera'' and one or more of ''V. labrusca'', ''V. riparia'' or ''V. aestivalis''. Hybrids tend to be less susceptible to frost and disease (notably phylloxera), but wine from some hybrids may have a little of the characteristic "foxy" taste of ''V. labrusca''.
The Latin word ''Vitis'' is feminine,<ref>{{citation |author1=Lewis, C.T. |author2=Short, C. |year=1958 |title=A Latin Dictionary |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford}}</ref> and therefore adjectival species names take feminine forms, such as ''V. vinifera''.<ref>{{citation |author1=McNeill, J. |author2=Barrie, F.R. |author3=Buck, W.R. |author4=Demoulin, V. |author5=Greuter, W. |author6=Hawksworth, D.L. |author7=Herendeen, P.S. |author8=Knapp, S. |author9=Marhold, K. |author10=Prado, J. |author11=Prud'homme Van Reine, W.F. |author12=Smith, G.F. |author13=Wiersema, J.H. |author14=Turland, N.J. |year=2012 |volume=Regnum Vegetabile 154 |title=International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Melbourne Code) adopted by the Eighteenth International Botanical Congress Melbourne, Australia, July 2011 |publisher=A.R.G. Gantner Verlag KG |isbn=978-3-87429-425-6 |url=http://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/main.php?page=title}} Article 23.5</ref>{{refn|group=lower-alpha|-''fer'' is an adjectival suffix, with forms -''fer'' (M), -''fera'' (F), and -''ferum'' (N).<ref>{{citation |author=Stearn, W.T. |year=1992 |title=Botanical Latin: History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary, Fourth edition |publisher=David and Charles}}</ref>}}
== Ecology == {{Main|List of grape diseases|Phylloxera}} thumb|'Palatina', a Hungary grape Phylloxera is an American root aphid that devastated ''V. vinifera'' vineyards in Europe when accidentally introduced in the late 19th century.<ref name=":2" /> Attempts were made to breed in resistance from American species, but many winemakers and customers did not like the unusual flavour profile of the hybrid vines. However, ''V. vinifera'' grafts readily onto rootstocks of the American species and their hybrids with ''V. vinifera'', and most commercial production of grapes now relies on such grafts.
The black vine weevil is another root pest.
Grapevines are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.
==Commercial distribution== [[File:Pago de miraflores la alta albariza sanlúcar barrameda.jpg|thumb|Vitis for producing Sherry at Jerez]] [[File:Parra en Hontecillas.jpg|thumb|Vitis near a house in Hontecillas]] According to the UN's 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.<!--<br style="clear:both"/>-->
The following list of top wine-producers shows the corresponding areas dedicated to grapes (regardless of the grapes' final destination):<ref>{{cite web|title=OIV Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture 2016|url=http://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5029/world-vitiviniculture-situation-2016.pdf|access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>
{{Aligned table | class = wikitable sortable | cols = 3 | row1header = on |col2align = right | col3align = right | Country | Area under vine (ha ×10<sup>3</sup>) | Grape production (metric ton ×10<sup>6</sup>) | '''{{noflag|World}}''' | '''7511''' | '''75.7''' | {{flag|Spain}} | 1021| 6.0 | {{flag|China}} | 830 | 12.6 | {{flag|France}} | 786 | 6.3 | {{flag|Italy}} | 682 | 8.2 | {{flag|Turkey}} | 497 | 3.6 | {{flag|United States}} | 419 | 7.0 | {{flag|Argentina}} | 225 | 2.4 | {{flag|Iran}} | 223 | 2.1 | {{flag|Portugal}} | 217 | | {{flag|Chile}} | 211 | 3.1 | {{flag|Romania}} | 192 | | {{flag|Australia}} | 149 | 1.7 | {{flag|Moldova}} | 140 | | {{flag|South Africa}} | 130 | 2.0 | {{flag|India}} | 120 | 2.6 | {{flag|Brazil}} | 85 | 1.5 | {{flag|Bulgaria}} | 60 | | {{flag|New Zealand}} | 39 | }}
==Domestic cultivation== Grapevines are widely cultivated by gardeners, and numerous suppliers cater specifically for this trade. The plants are valued for their decorative foliage, often colouring brightly in autumn; their ability to clothe walls, pergolas and arches, thus providing shade; and their fruits, which may be eaten as dessert or provide the basis for homemade wines. Popular varieties include:-
{{div col|colwidth=20em}} *'Buckland Sweetwater' (white dessert) *'Chardonnay' (white wine) *'Foster's Seedling' (white dessert) *'Grenache' (red wine) *'Muscat of Alexandria' (white dessert) *'Müller-Thurgau' (white wine) *'Phoenix' (white wine) *'Pinot noir' (red wine) *'Regent' (red wine) *'Schiava Grossa' (red dessert) *'Seyval blanc' (white wine)<ref name=GYOF>{{cite book|last=Klein|first=Carol|title=Grow your own fruit|year=2009|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=9781845334345|pages=224}}</ref> *'Tempranillo' (red wine) {{div col end}}
The following varieties have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 107 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 18 February 2019}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *'Boskoop Glory'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/57774/Vitis-Boskoop-Glory-(O-B)/Details | title = ''Vitis'' 'Boskoop Glory' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}}</ref> (dessert/wine) *'Brant'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Vitis'' 'Brant '|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/80403/Vitis-Brant-(O-B)/Details | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}}</ref> (black dessert) *'Claret Cloak' or 'Frovit'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/115590/Vitis-Claret-Cloak-Frovit/Details | title = ''Vitis'' 'Claret Cloak' ('Frovit') | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}}</ref> (ornamental) *'New York Muscat'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Vitis'' 'New York Muscat'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/203614/Vitis-New-York-Muscat-(O-B)/Details | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}}</ref> (black dessert) *'Purpurea'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Vitis'' 'Purpurea'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4675|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707074346/http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4675|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 7, 2013|access-date=1 June 2013}}</ref> (ornamental) {{div col end}}
== Uses == The fruit of several ''Vitis'' species are grown commercially for consumption as fresh grapes and for fermentation into wine.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frenkel |first1=Omer |last2=Brewer |first2=Marin Talbot |last3=Milgroom |first3=Michael G. |date=2010 |title=Variation in Pathogenicity and Aggressiveness of Erysiphe necator from Different Vitis spp. and Geographic Origins in the Eastern United States |journal=Phytopathology |language=en |volume=100 |issue=11 |pages=1185–1193 |doi=10.1094/PHYTO-01-10-0023 |issn=0031-949X |pmid=20932167 |bibcode=2010PhPat.100.1185F |doi-access=free}}</ref> ''Vitis vinifera'' is the most important such species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=Kelly |last2=Sims |first2=Charles |last3=Odabasi |first3=Asli |last4=Bartoshuk |first4=Linda |last5=Conner |first5=Patrick |last6=Gray |first6=Dennis |date=2016 |title=Consumer Acceptability of Fresh-Market Muscadine Grapes |journal=Journal of Food Science |language=en |volume=81 |issue=11 |pages=S2808–S2816 |doi=10.1111/1750-3841.13522 |issn=1750-3841 |pmid=27741360 |quote=Nearly all table grapes that are sold in commercial markets are V. vinifera.}}</ref>
The leaves of several species of grapevine are edible and are used in the production of dolmades and Vietnamese lot leaves.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cosme |first1=Fernanda |last2=Pinto |first2=Teresa |last3=Vilela |first3=Alice |date=2017 |title=Oenology in the Kitchen: The Sensory Experience Offered by Culinary Dishes Cooked with Alcoholic Drinks, Grapes and Grape Leaves |journal=Beverages |language=en |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=42 |doi=10.3390/beverages3030042 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
== Culture == {{global|section|date=December 2025}} === Ancient Greece === The grapevine (typically ''Vitis vinifera'') has been used as a symbol since ancient times. In Greek mythology, Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Ancient Romans) was god of the vintage and, therefore, a grapevine with bunches of the fruit are among his attributes. His attendants at the Bacchanalian festivals hence had the vine as an attribute, together with the thyrsus, the latter often entwined with vine branches. For the same reason, the Greek wine cup (cantharos) is commonly decorated with the vine and grapes, wine being drunk as a libation to the god.
=== Ancient Israel and Judaism === The grapevine has held profound symbolic significance in Jewish tradition and culture since antiquity.<ref name=":0">Wulkan, Reba, "The Grape and the Vine: A Motif in Contemporary Jewish Textiles" (1998). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 217.</ref> It is referenced 55 times in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), along with grapes and wine, which are also frequently mentioned (55 and 19, respectively).<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Netzer |first1=Yishai |last2=Netzer |first2=Nissan |date=2021 |title=Hebrew Vine and Wine Terms from Ancient Times to the Present |url=https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/judea-and-samaria-research-studies/2021/07/05/%d7%92%d6%b6%d6%bc%d7%a4%d6%b6%d7%9f-%d7%91%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%91%d7%9f-%d7%92%d6%b8%d6%bc%d7%a4%d6%b6%d7%9f-%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%a0%d7%97%d7%99-%d7%92%d7%a4%d7%9f-%d7%95%d7%99%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%9e%d7%99%d7%9e/ |journal=Judea and Samaria Research Studies |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=127–145 |doi=10.26351/JSRS/30-1/5 |issn=2617-8737 |s2cid=241465067 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> It is regarded as one of the Seven Species the land of Israel was blessed with,<ref>{{Bibleverse||Deuteronomy|8:8|HE}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":22">{{Citation |last=Shafer-Elliott |first=Cynthia |title=Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, and Legumes |date=2022 |work=T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel |pages=141 |editor-last=Fu |editor-first=Janling |url=https://www.bloomsburyfoodlibrary.com/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9780567679826&tocid=b-9780567679826-chapter8 |access-date=2025-07-27 |series=T&T Clark Handbooks |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=T&T Clark |language=en |isbn=978-0-567-67982-6 |editor2-last=Shafer-Elliott |editor2-first=Cynthia |editor3-last=Meyers |editor3-first=Carol}}</ref> and is employed several times in the Bible as a symbol of the Israelites as the chosen people.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Isaiah|5:7}}, {{Bibleverse|Hosea|9:10}}</ref>[[File:Monnaie_-_Prutah,_bronze,_Jérusalem,_Judée,_première_guerre_judéo-romaine_-_btv1b11318591v_(2_of_2).jpg|thumb|A grapevine leaf, depicted on a bronze coin from the Great Jewish Revolt|200x200px]]Along with the fig tree, the grapevine appears in biblical passages as a symbol of peace, stability, and prosperity. During the reign of Solomon, a golden age of Israelite unity and security is captured in the phrase: ''"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree".<ref>1 Kings 4:25</ref><ref name=":22" />'' This imagery reappears in prophetic visions of future peace, such as in the Book of Micah, where the prophet declares: ''"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid."<ref>Micah 4:4</ref><ref name=":22" />'' The Book of Jeremiah uses vineyard imagery to represent both exile and restoration. In one instance, Judah's removal from the land is likened to the gleaning of a vine.<ref>Jeremiah 6:9</ref><ref name=":22" /> In contrast, a later vision of Jeremiah offers hope, with the promise of renewed life in the land: ''"Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit"''.<ref>Jeremiah 31:5</ref><ref name=":22" />
The grapevine has a prominent place in Jewish rituals: the wine was given a special blessing, "creator of the fruit of the vine", and the Kiddush blessing is recited over wine or grape juice on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.<ref name=":1" /> It is also employed in various parables and sayings in rabbinic literature.<ref name=":1" /> According to Josephus and the Mishnah, a golden vine was hung over the inner chamber of the Second Temple. The grapevine is featured on Hasmonean and Bar Kokhba revolt coinage, and as a decoration in mosaic floors of ancient synagogues.<ref name=":0" />
=== Christianity === In Christian iconography, the vine also frequently appears. It is mentioned several times in the New Testament. We have the parable of the kingdom of heaven likened to the father starting to engage laborers for his vineyard. The vine is used as symbol of Jesus Christ based on his own statement, "I am the true vine (John 15:1)." In that sense, a vine is placed as sole symbol on the tomb of Constantia, the sister of Constantine the Great, and elsewhere. In Byzantine art, the vine and grapes figure in early mosaics, and on the throne of Maximianus of Ravenna it is used as a decoration.
The vine and wheat ear have been frequently used as symbol of the blood and flesh of Christ, hence figuring as symbols (bread and wine) of the Eucharist and are found depicted on ostensories. Often the symbolic vine laden with grapes is found in ecclesiastical decorations with animals biting at the grapes. At times, the vine is used as symbol of temporal blessing.<ref name="amer">{{Americana|wstitle=Vine in Art and Symbolism|year=1920|author=Clement W. Coumbe|inline=1}}</ref>
=== Mandaeism === In Mandaeism, uthras (angels or celestial beings) are often described as personified grapevines ({{transliteration|myz|gupna}}).<ref name="GR Gelbert">{{cite book |url=https://livingwaterbooks.com.au/product/ginza-rba/ |last1=Gelbert |first1=Carlos |title=Ginza Rba |year=2011 |publisher=Living Water Books |location=Sydney |isbn=9780958034630}}</ref>
==See also== *Vine staff *Annual growth cycle of grapevines *Old vine
==References==
===Notes=== {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
===Citations=== {{Reflist|30em}}
===Further reading===
* {{ cite journal |author1=Francesco Emanuelli |author2=Silvia Lorenzi |author3=Lukasz Grzeskowiak |author4=Valentina Catalano |author5=Marco Stefanini |author6=Michela Troggio |author7=Sean Myles |author8=José M. Martinez-Zapater |author9=Eva Zyprian |author10=Flavia M. Moreira |author11=M. Stella Grando |name-list-style=amp |year=2013 |volume=13 |article-number=39 |title=Genetic diversity and population structure assessed by SSR and SNP markers in a large germplasm collection of grape |journal=BMC Plant Biology |issue=1 |publisher=BioMed Central Ltd. |doi=10.1186/1471-2229-13-39 |pmid=23497049 |pmc=3610244 |bibcode=2013BMCPB..13...39E |doi-access=free }} * {{ cite journal |author1=Roberto Bacilieri |author2=Thierry Lacombe |author3=Loic Le Cunff |author4=Manuel Di Vecchi Staraz |author5=Valerie Laucou |author6=Blaise Genna |author7=Jean-Pierre Peros |author8=Patrice This |author9=Jean-Michel Boursiquot |year=2013 |volume=13 |title=Genetic structure in cultivated grapevines is linked to geography and human selection |journal=BMC Plant Biology |issue=1 |publisher=BioMed Central Ltd. |doi=10.1186/1471-2229-13-25|pmid=23394135 |pages=25|pmc=3598926 |bibcode=2013BMCPB..13...25B |doi-access=free }}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Vitis|''Vitis''}} *{{Wikispecies-inline}} * [http://www.eu-vitis.de/docs/descriptors/mcpd/WP2-DESCRIPTORS-v4.pdf List of 48 descriptors] defined in the GRAPEGEN06 project (selected from the 151 OIV descriptors published in June 2007)
{{Viticulture}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q191019}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Vitis Category:Vitaceae genera Category:Vines . Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Extant Selandian first appearances