 |
Grape
Scientific Name: Vitis vinifera
Family Name:
|
Viticulture had its beginnings somewhere around the Caspian Sea in the area generally considered the place of origin of Vitis vinifera, our most common Grape. It goes so far back in time that the vine is thought to have been already established throughout the world even before the coming of man. The most ancient Greek and Egyptian sources give evidence of the grape's cultivation, and it is mentioned in Genesis 9:20, 21: "And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and was drunken. . ." Grape culture then spread to other parts of the Near East, then to Greece and Sicily. Grapes were planted by the Romans on the Rhine about the second century A.D. The Greeks, and later, the Romans carried them to Gaul and Provence. At the same time that grape growing was spreading westward, it was also moving to India and the Far East. As new colonization occurred, grapes were carried along until today they are cultivated on all continents and islands that are suitable climatically. Cato, Virgil, Varro and other Latin authors have written much about the grape. Its cultivation suffered a decline after the fall of the Roman Empire, around the second century A.D., until the rise of the city-states (e.g. Florence, Siena, Pisa, etc.) in the later Middle Ages. After the discovery of America, wild species were imported from the new continent and from them new varieties were obtained. Some centuries later these wild species saved the European grape industry which was then ravaged by disease. In the last decades of the nineteenth century a parasitic insect, the Phylloxera, invaded most of the European vineyards, destroying them in greater number. Connoisseurs of wine still refer nostalgically to "pre-Phylloxera vintages." Fortunately it had been discovered that the American varieties were resistant to this insect, so European grape-growers began extensive planting of American rootstock on which, later, shoots of European varieties were grafted. Viticulture has so progressed during the twentieth century that it is now one of the most prominent harvests in existence. Throughout the world Europe clearly occupies first place with an area of about 17-18 million acres reserved for viticulture, in a total world figure of 75 million acres. In Europe, Italy leads in acreage followed by Spain and France. The cultivated varieties are very numerous, and there are also many characteristics that bring them into one or the other of the two groups into which they have been subdivided: table or dessert grapes and wine grapes. Both types are, however, good for eating. Grapes also have digestive and therapeutic properties which are rare in other types of fruit, and are considered to be very nourishing. A grape is formed by the pulp, which is the most important part, enclosed by a thin, membranous skin, and enclosing seeds (grapestones). Water, in which all the various substances are dissolved, is the greatest component of the pulp. A good percentage of carbohydrates is present, 18-20%, in the form of glucose and fructose, both of which are easily assimilable and provide many calories, which explains why grapes, although poor in protein and lipids, are considered to be so nutritious. They also contain potassium, iron, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which have a refreshing action maintaining the balance of the kidney's functions and helping the elimination of waste and excess acids. Grapes are also fairly rich in vitamin C, while the B complex is present in larger amounts in the white or lighter-colored grapes. Their therapeutic properties are also numerous, as shown by the grape-cure (ampelotherapy) of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, once very common every fall, but today viewed with skepticism. All that is natural is automatically underrated in this modern world of pills and machines. Wine is the result of the alcoholic fermentation of the must, the juice pressed from fresh, or even partly dried grapes. Wines differ vastly according to the different varieties of grapes, the composition of the soil, the climatic conditions, and the various treatments to which the must and the grapes themselves are subjected. According to their color, wines are classified as red, rosé and white, while according to their use, they are called "table" or "dessert" wines, "blending wines," "sparkling wines," etc. Wine has been known since very early times, and is considered a high-energy food: in relation to its content of alcohol and sugars it can supply from 600 to 1,000 calories per liter, a very high figure indeed. It has been claimed by some medical authorities that people who habitually drink a half to one bottle of red wine per day have a longer life-span. In certain remote districts grapes are still crushed by the feet, but it is now more usual for mechanical presses to be employed. The harvest time varies according to the variety, but usually takes place during a spell of warm, dry weather. Very good vintages are stored for about three years in heavy wooden casks (although in hot countries, such as Algeria, the casks are lighter), but lesser vintages are put into metal or japanned casks. Wine should always be handled with respect, even if it is a cheap vintage, commonly called "plonk" or "plonque." A cheap or young wine is vastly improved if the cork is complete removed from the bottle at least three to four hours before it is to be drunk. This "softens" the wine and takes away any acidity. Never be afraid of extravagance in using a good wine in cooking. Good food is worth good wine. In most religions man's discovery of the vine is attributed to divine intervention. [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]