Grapes
About Grapes
Grapes are a type of berry that grow on woody vines. The berries grow in clusters or bunches that can range from a couple of dozen to hundreds per cluster. Grapes come in many different colors and shades of red, blue, purple, green, and yellow. Areas of lands that are planted for grape production are called vineyards.
When a vineyard is first planted, it takes the vines on average up to three years to produce grapes. As the vines grow, they are trimmed to one main vine then trellised or hung from wires that are pulled tight between posts.
Early in the spring, the vines flower and the flowers are pollinated by both wind and insects or are self-pollinating and do not need a pollinator to help with reproduction. Once a grape flower becomes fertilized, the buds begin to develop into the grape berry. Grapes grow through the summer adding sugars and size. Harvest starts in August and runs into October depending on the variety and the use of the grape.
Lifecycle
If well maintained, grapevines can grow as old as 100+ years and over 100 feet in length. Most new grapevines are grown or propagated through taking "cuttings" or cutting a section of a grape vine. This process is also a form of cloning or using genetically rich tissue from a donor organism to create a new organism.
Cuttings are usually taken in the late winter/early spring when a grapevine has gone dormant for the winter and just before the vine comes out of the dormancy period. Once a section of a vine is cut, one side is buried into a sterile growing medium where the cutting will eventually begin to produce roots. After roots are produced, the cutting is then placed in the soil in the vineyard where it will be trained to grow along the vineyard trellis.
Although it is possible to grow grapes from seed, very rarely is this done at home or large-scale vineyards. Grapevines that are grown from seeds will have different characteristics than the parent plant. Most grape growers only want a specific grape for their production and choose to clone their vines using cuttings to ensure that all their vines produce the same fruit. There are some growers who like to use the variations of grape genetics that comes from the seeds to create new grape varieties.
Classifications
Grapes have three use classifications: table, juice, or wine. Different characteristics of a grape are used to classify what the species are commonly used for such as sugar content, skin thickness, having seeds or no seeds, or region it is grown. One of the most popular and versatile grapes in the United States is the Concord grape. Concords are good for eating fresh, making juices and jellies, or producing wine.
Harvesting
Depending on how a grape is going to be used depends on how it is harvested. If grapes are used for their juice, they are often harvested mechanically by large harvesters which drive down the vines shaking them and causing the grapes to drop off onto a collection platform. After falling off the grapes are moved by conveyor belt from the harvester to bins which are pulled by tractors that drive alongside the harvester. These bins are loaded onto trucks which transport the grapes from the vineyard to the juice factory. The process of harvesting, transporting, and juicing at the factory usually takes place within only a few hours to prevent the juice from fermenting.
Grapes that are used in wine making are harvested using harvesters as well as hand harvested by workers. Mechanical harvesting is the same process used with juice grapes. For hand harvesting, workers go throughout the vineyard and use knives to cut bunches of grapes from the grape vine. The grapes are then placed in a crate and the crates are stacked and moved out of the vineyard to be processed. One reason that wine makers hand harvest grapes is to prevent the fruit from being bruised or skin split. Small changes in the harvesting and processing of a grape can cause changes in the final product.
Once a grapes skin is broken, the grape begins to oxidize. Oxidization causes flavors and aromas to be changed within the juice of the grape changing the end product that is produced. Once grapes are harvested, their juice must be quickly processed and correctly stored either in vats or barrels until the winemaker is ready to make wine. Some winemakers prefer to have only hand harvested grapes as they are less likely to have bruised or split skins which often happens with mechanically harvested grapes.
Table grapes are always harvested by hand. Once workers cut the bunches of grapes, they are placed in crates and moved out of the field. The grapes are then rinsed and placed in cool storage. Finally, grapes are packaged and shipped to stores to be sold for fresh eating.
Trip to the Vineyard
Take a virtual field trip to JM Joy/EnJoyAble Acres farm, a real NY vineyard, to learn how NY grapes are raised, how grapevines are cared for, how mechanical harvesting takes place, and how NY grape growers work year around to make quality grape juice which will be consumed across the Empire State.
Fun Facts
- The Lake Erie region is the oldest growing region in the world for Concord grapes. This region is second in Concord production in the United States.
- The Finger Lakes region is known for growing world renown wine grapes and the production of award-winning wines.
- Grapes grow in a large group called a "bunch" or cluster. A bunch can be made up of 15 to 300 grapes depending on the variety. One vine in a vineyard will have around 40 bunches per vine.
- There are over 10,000 varieties of grapes know in the world today. With less than 100 of those varieties being grown on a larger portion of vineyards.