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'''Wine grape''' refers to [[grape varieties]] that are specifically cultivated for the production of [[wine]]. Unlike table grapes, which are bred for direct consumption, wine grapes are selected for their balance of sugars, acids, and [[phenolic compounds]] that contribute to [[fermentation]] and [[flavour]] development<ref>Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz, ''Wine Grapes'', HarperCollins, 2012, ISBN 978-0062206367.</ref>.

== Background ==  
The cultivation of grapes for [[winemaking]] has origins in the [[Near East]], where early [[viticulture]] developed alongside the domestication of [[Vitis vinifera]]. Archaeological evidence suggests that winemaking was already established in regions such as [[Georgia]] and [[Mesopotamia]] by the 6th millennium BCE<ref>Unwin, ''Wine and the Vine: An Historical Geography of Viticulture and the Wine Trade'', Routledge, 1991, ISBN 978-0415075370.</ref>. From these centres, grape growing spread westwards to the [[Mediterranean]] and later across [[Europe]] under [[Roman era|Roman]] influence. Today, wine grapes are grown globally, but the majority of fine wine continues to be produced from Vitis vinifera, which has thousands of recognised varieties<ref>Robinson (ed.), ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Oxford University Press, 2015, ISBN 978-0198705383.</ref>.

== Characteristics ==  
Wine grapes are typically smaller than table grapes, with thicker skins and relatively large [[seeds]]. These traits result in higher concentrations of [[sugar]], [[acidity]], and [[tannins]], which are essential for fermentation and [[ageing]]<ref>Jackson, ''Wine Science: Principles and Applications'', 5th ed., Academic Press, 2020, ISBN 978-0128161180.</ref>. The skin is particularly important, as it contains many of the compounds responsible for [[colour]] and [[aroma]] precursors. The great diversity of grape varieties reflects a long history of natural mutation, human selection, and regional adaptation. Many varieties are highly localised, while others, such as [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] or [[Chardonnay]], are grown worldwide.

== Use in winemaking ==  
Wine grapes are [[harvesting|harvested]] and [[pressing|pressed]] to release their juice, which undergoes fermentation through the action of [[yeast]]. The relative balance of sugars and acids at harvest plays a critical role in the style and quality of the resulting wine<ref>Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz, ''Wine Grapes'', HarperCollins, 2012, ISBN 978-0062206367.</ref>. Grapes may be vinified as single-varietal wines or blended to achieve complexity and balance. [[Red wine|Red]], [[white wine|white]], and [[rosé wine|rosé]] wines are distinguished by the treatment of skins during fermentation, with red wines deriving colour and tannin from extended [[maceration]]. [[Terroir]] — the combination of [[soil]], [[climate]], and viticultural practices — strongly influences grape composition and therefore the character of the finished wine.

== See also ==  
* [[Grape variety]]  
* [[Vitis vinifera]]  
* [[Viticulture]]  

== References ==  
{{reflist}}  

[[Category:Grape varieties]]  
[[Category:Viticulture]]