CROATIAN FLORA 2010 - FRUITS - GRAPEVINE

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L., Family Vitaceae) English: Grapevine German: Winerebe French: Vigne Italian: Vite Grapevine, together with wheat and olive, is among the oldest cultivated plants of the ancient world and still the most spread fruit on our planet. The wild subspecies of grapevine (subsp. sylvestris) is a creeping plant that can reach up to 15 m height, coils around its supporting rod thanks to its long and short offshoots with tendrils. The leaves are on long stems and lobate in shape. Tiny flowers are divided in male and female blossoms, gathered in peak clusters. The domesticated subspecies of grapevine (subsp. vinifera or sativa) has hermaphrodite flowers, whereof the female ones give fruit – soft berries with several seeds each. There are almost 20.000 described sorts of grapevine, which differ in their ripening time, resistance to climate factors, diseases and parasites, but first of all in their fruits that can be used in wine production and that are of different colour, size, shape, taste and smell of their clusters. The sorts of grape vine can be divided by the colour of their berries in white and red, and further in rose and black, i.e. red, and according to its smell to aromatic and non-aromatic. Depending on the sort, the grapes ripen from July to October, and sometimes the harvest is postponed till the icy grape-harvest at the beginning of the year. The grapevine has been cultivated in the Mediterranean since ancient times and the oldest wine cellar, built 7000 years ago, was also found there. Croatia has exceptionally favourite climate conditions for raising various sorts of grapes (Croatia comprises all five zones of grapevine cultivation); the grapevine is also depicted on Croatian two-lipa coin. The first grapevine trees in today’s continental Croatia were planted by Romans (in Srijem area), and at the coast (on islands) by Greeks. From about 130 sorts of autochtonous grapevines cultivars in Croatia, the best known is the Vitis Vinifera L. (plavac mali crni) - a crossbreed of "dobričić” from the Island of Šolta and „crljenak” or zinfandel from Kaštela, which is used in production of excellent wines (Dingač and Postup) from protected geographical regions (protected denomination of origin) – like e.g. areas on the peninsula of Pelješac. Apart from the production of wine, the grapevine has also other culinary uses (raisins, vinegar, stuffed grapevine leaves), and uses as medication.