Grapevine
Vitis vinifera
Botanical family: Vitaceae
Vitis vinifera, a liana whose wild form still grows in the sheltered woods of the South of France, grown in almost all of France. Grape varieties resistant to downy and powdery mildew greatly reduce spraying: in 2018 INRAE registered Artaban, Vidoc, Floreal and Voltis, which save 80 to 90% of fungicide treatments. Sources: Tela Botanica, “Vitis vinifera L.” (Coste's flora); INRAE, “L'Inra obtient l'inscription au catalogue de quatre variétés sélectionnées pour la viticulture durable” (2018).
Full sun
Poor, stony
Moderate: water in dry spells during the first season; once established in the ground, rain is enough
Hardy: dormant wood ~-15 to -20 °C; buds more sensitive (-5 to -15 °C depending on grape variety)
Protect over winter in your zone
Self-fertile
One plant is enough for a crop
Role in permaculture
A climbing liana (layer 7 in the forest garden) that exploits light up high. On a pergola, trellis, or against a south-facing wall. Grafted onto American rootstock since the phylloxera crisis (1860s-1880s).
Good companions
Fix nitrogen from the air (legumes)
Attract pollinators and beneficial insects
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Seasons & availability
Table grapes: September to October.
Available: September, October.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Grapes » (rhs.org.uk/fruit/grapes/grow-your-own)
- Plants For A Future, « Vitis vinifera » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Vitis+vinifera)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
No particular risk for humans in common consumption. Grapes, however, are toxic to dogs: their ingestion can trigger acute kidney failure, even in a small quantity and unpredictably (tartaric acid). Never leave bunches or fallen fruit within reach of a dog.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find grapevine in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Recipes
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Ancient Greece · Eastern Mediterranean, from the Bronze Age
The vine, in Greek mythology, is offered to humans by Dionysus, son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, god of the vine, of wine, and of ecstasy. Euripides, in The Bacchae, describes him as the one who brings men forgetfulness of their sorrows and release from the everyday. But Dionysus is also an ambiguous god: he can drive mad, wild, dangerous. The vine is generous, but not docile.
Euripide, Les Bacchantes (vers 405 av. J.-C.) ; Hésiode, Théogonie ; Plutarque, Vies parallèles. Pour une lecture moderne : Walter Otto, Dionysos, le mythe et le culte (1933).
Key takeaways
- • Prefers full sun exposure.
- • Ideal soil: poor, stony.
- • Classic companion: Hyssop.