Agricultural decisions made in the vineyard have an enormous impact of the quality, quantity flavor and price of every wine produced.
Vines – members of the genus Vitis – are, in their natural habitat, woodland plants that climb and clamber up convenient trees, putting out tendrils to attach themselves to branches, searching for the light.
The species of the Vitis genus are the most widely planted agricultural crop on Earth. There are more than 20 million acres of vineyards planted with grapevines, the majority of which are intended for the production of wine.
There are fewer than 60 known vitis species, many of them indistinctly separated from others. Quality wines come from the grapes called Vitis vinifera, which has over 4000 varieties.
What is wine? Wine is an alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting the juice of freshly gathered grapes in the district of origin according to local customs and traditions.
Vines like to grow in temperate climates between 50° – 90° F. They need warmth and sunshine to bloom and produce adequate sugar to turn into alcohol.
What is viticulture?
