Wine Grapes From Old World to New World

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Cultivated wine grapes date back to thousands of years ago, in Europe, the old world, the first grapes where cultivated about 6000 years ago. And it stayed in Europe for a very long time only recent about 200 years ago wine grapes where introduced in America by some Franciscan monks who wanted to use the wine grapes to make sacramental wine from them. Today there are more than 50 counties all over the world who use wine grapes in order to produce wine.

There is a Great Variety in Wine Grapes

Wine grapes vary widely in their variety and quality and are usually distinguishes from one another according to the region in which they grow. Factors like soil, climate, sunlight, and the surrounding vegetation influence the quality of grapes. Broadly, they can be classified on the basis of color as red, blue, and white grapes, the latter actually being pale green in color. The general requirements for wine grapes include a sufficiently lit location, fertile soil that can thoroughly drain, moderately warm temperature, and a fair distance from the surrounding vegetation, especially from large trees as well as from the reach of swarms of birds and insects. Also, grapes rely heavily on water and therefore it is important to provide some reticulation or keep the water supply up to the plants, especially at the times of first plantation and when the plants start fruiting. Pruning the plantation area regularly also plays an important role in providing quality fruit.

New World Wine Grapes

New World wine grapes include those grown in Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, and South Africa. Most of these come from the southern hemisphere. In North America, almost all famous varieties, and most not-so-famous types also, are grown in the US state of California. Zinfandel, regarded as Californiaâ€™s own grape, is the most popular variety of grapes used for wine making in the United States.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the four primary kinds of wine grapes grown abundantly in South America, especially in Chile. The largest producer of grapes used for wine making in South America is Argentina and its variety of grapes reflects its diverse population.

There is an upcoming market in Australian and New Zealand wines grapes, they produce very good Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon and wines from South Africa especially the Cabernet Sauvignon are popular for a number of years. They are still looking for a good formula to get around some irrigation problems for the South African vineyards.

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