A vineyard is where grapes are grown for different wines and other purposes. Knowing about the vineyard is important for anyone interested in grapes or wine. Vineyards have been around for a very long time; some believe from the very beginning of civilization. There are actually many things that can harm vineyards and it is important to know some of these risks to be able to avoid them.

The vineyard was first introduced to Europe about 600 B.C. by the Phocaeans. Places such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal were the most receptive to the vineyards and grapes. These places are now known as the wine country. It wasn’t until phylloxera resistant varieties of grapes were introduced that the vineyards could flourish in the U.K. and U.S. Each area where the vineyards grow is defined by its terroir.

Terroir is a French word that basically means what the area looks like. Factors such as slope of the fields, rocks, how much sunlight hits the vines, temperature and other factors are all part of a vineyard’s terroir. These differing factors can determine whether a vineyard produces delicious or nasty grapes. In general, grapes need lots of sun, not too much moisture and a heavy hand with the pruning shears. This produces good grapes with lots of fruit. Grapes have become such a huge industry that there are vineyards all over the world. Even countries that have never grown grapes in the past are now getting into the industry.

There are certain pests and plant diseases that can affect the vineyard. One of the most well-known and devastating pests was the phylloxera insect. This bug ate the roots of the grape plants and destroyed the plants from below. This bug nearly wiped out the entire vineyard population of Europe. Then it was carried over here somehow, some people think through transportation of vines to and from Europe and North America. Nowadays, nearly every vineyard has to have phylloxera resistant vines or they will not survive.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm and is filed under Food & Drinks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.