Grapes . . .

How shall we corral this healthy berry into a simple framework? They can be eaten raw or used for making preserves, wine, juice, jellies, raisins, vinegars and grape seed extracts. They come in a wide range of colours (“white” grapes are actually green). Their clusters can have as few as 15 grapes to as many as 300. A simple answer is just not possible.

The grape is a fruiting berry of a woody vine by the botanical name of genus Vitis. There are five distinctly different grapevines:

• Vitis vinifera is familiar to most of us as the grapevine from which we get almost all our wines. It has origins in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in Asia Minor.

• Vitis labrusca, found in the eastern United States and Quebec, produces grapes for the production of juice, jellies and Concord wine.

• Vitis riparia (also found in the eastern United States and Quebec) is sometimes used for wine and jams.

• Vitis amurensis is the most commonly found species in Asia.

• Vitis rotundifolia is a heat-hardy species found in the southern United States.

It was North American vines that introduced the phylloxera pest to Europe; but it was only the grafting of European vines to American rootstock that enabled the European growers to continue to produce wine. I always wonder at the cost of this process, and whether the grafting changed the complexity and purity of European wines.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
Oh boy! This week I tasted the 2014 South Bay Chardonnay crafted by Huff Estates’ resident winemaker Frédéric Picard.

I was initially captivated by its correct livery badge of sun-washed straw. The nose is a captivating journey of greengage plum and Turkish apricots, along with hints of sponge toffee. The palate is a crisp Granny Smith apple that meets a home-cooked apple pie; the crisp and clean finish has a brushstroke of our distinctive minerality.

This treat retails for $30 and is available for purchase at the tasting room located on the northwest corner of Highway 62 and County Road 1.