Ahem! Looking for grape facts? We have you covered. With these 80 fascinating facts about grapes, you will learn a lot about these juicy fruits.
Just in case we happen to miss a few grape facts that you think should be on the list, feel free to shoot us a comment and we shall add them.
Okay, without further ado, let us begin…
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 1-5
1. Grapes are not fruits. They are berries (a type of fleshy fruit).
2. They grow on deciduous (trees or herbs that tend to shed leaves during particular seasons) woody vine of the genus Vitis.
3. There are two types of grapes – table grapes and wine grapes. Table grapes are the ones that are consumed directly.
4. Table grapes are seedless, have thin skin, and are bigger than wine grapes. They have around 15% sugar by weight.
5. Wine grapes are the ones that are used for making wine, jelly, jam, grape seed extract, raisins, etc.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 6-10
6. Wine grapes are quite sweet, have thick skin, have seeds and they are harvested when they have 24% sugar by weight.
7. There is another classification as well – American grapes and European grapes.
8. American grapes are available in the months of September and October and European grapes are present all over the year.
9. Grapes are found in clusters or bunches of 15 to 300 berries. These clusters are in the shape of pyramid.
10. On an average, each cluster has around 75 berries.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 11-15
11. They can be found in different colors like crimson, black, green, orange, yellow, dark blue and pink.
12. The so-called “white grapes” are actually green in color and evolutionarily derived from the purple grapes.
13. Most of the grapes are derived from Vitis vinifera. Mediterranean and Central Asia are home to this European grapevine.
14. Other species of Vitis that also produce grapes are as follows:
Vitis labrusca – native of Canada and Eastern United States.
Vitis riparia – native of Eastern United States, it is a wild grape vine.
Vitis amurensis – The most famous Asian species of Vitis genus.
Vitis rotundfolia – native of Southeastern United States and Gulf of Mexico.
Vitis mustangensis – native of Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas etc.
15. The vine on which the grapes are grown can grow up to 50 feet or 15 meters in height. Each vine can produce around 40 clusters of grapes.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 16-20
16. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics recorded purple grapes’ cultivation.
17. Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Phoenicians cultivated purple grapes and used them for eating raw or used them for the production of wine.
18. It soon spread to other regions of Europe, North Africa and North America.
19. Native Americans enjoyed grapes of different species of the genus Vitis but Europeans who came to colonize North America didn’t consider them suitable for wine.
20. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 71% of the grapes produced in the world are used for making wine, 27% of it is used as fruits, and 2% of them are used as dried fruits.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 21-25
21. A small scale of grapes is also used for producing grape juice.
22. Varieties of grapes are many and some of them are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sultana, Cabernet Sauvignon etc.
23. Top 5 producers of grapes used for making wine are Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, and United States.
24. Top 5 producers of grapes (overall production) are China, United States, Italy, France and Spain.
25. Dried grapes are generally referred to as raisins in North America and Europe.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 26-30
26. However, the U.K. recognized three variants of dried grapes which are as follows:
Raisin
Currant – it is generally a dried Zante Black Corinth grape. It is referred to blackcurrant and redcurrant (they are two berries which are not at all related to grapes).
Sultana – It was actually a raisin produced from Sultana grapes that originated in Turkey. But now, raisins made from white and red grapes are also considered in this variant.
27. Grapes have low levels of cholesterol, fat and sodium and higher amounts of Vitamin C and K.
28. They are also rich in Vitamin A and B complex, have high amounts of Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium, Calcium, etc.
29. Grapes have many benefits. Grape therapy is one of them, but it is still under scanner, because there is very little evidence to prove the case.
30. Grape therapy is a type of naturopathy or in simple words alternative medicine which involves consumption of grapes, its skin, its seeds, its leaves.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 31-35
31. According to grape therapy, consumption of grapes or part of grapes is very beneficial for the body and can even cure cancer.
Note: We do not, in any way, support or promote grape therapy.
32. Laboratory tests have proved that grape seed extract has probable anti-cancer effect.
33. But again, American Cancer Society clearly mentioned that very little scientific data is present to say that grapes or its products (red wine) or any part of the grapes (seeds or leaves etc.) can treat cancer.
34. Cosmeceuticals and skin care products extensively use grape seed oil.
35. Grapes contain a high amount of resveratrol in general. Some varieties have more resveratrol than others.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 36-40
36. Resveratrol is a kind of natural phenol which is considered to be helpful in fighting cancer (however results are inconsistent), controlling secondary damage after acute brain trauma, controlling diabetes etc.
Note: Studies on resveratrol are not yet completed and conclusive data has not been reached.
37. Purple grapes and red wine are considered to be a healthier option when compared to white grapes and white wine.
38. It is because of the presence of natural phenol called anthocyanin (present in purple grapes and red wine) which has higher antioxidant strength than the natural phenols present in white grapes.
39. White grapes and white wine don’t contain anthocyanin.
40. The phenolic content of the grapes is also dependent on various factors like climate, soil composition, exposure to diseases, geographic origin etc.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 41-45
41. In simple words, higher the phenolic content, greater are the health benefits.
42. Red wine helps in vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels), decreased platelet accumulation.
43. Vasodilation results in lowering of blood pressure.
44. Red wine decreases the activity of hormones which (that is, higher hormonal activity) results in high blood pressure or constriction of blood vessels like angiotensin.
45. By reducing blood pressure and stress, grapes indirectly help us in mood elevation and keeping us happy.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 46-50
46. Grapes are loaded with antioxidants and slow down aging.
47. They also increase the level of HNO3 or nitric acid in our blood which prevents clotting of blood and helps in reducing the risk of having a heart attack.
48. They also help in curing asthma, migraine, fatigue, kidney diseases, indigestion etc.
49. They also help in reducing acne, osteoarthritis, allergies, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and protects against eye diseases like cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma etc.
50. Eating grapes may even help in boosting immune system, controlling blood glucose level, etc.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 51-55
51. Though some medical authorities don’t support consumption of wine, there are many who support that a glass of wine a day for women and two glasses of wine a day for men is healthy.
52. So, grapes, just like any food or beverage in this world, is beneficial only if take in moderation.
53. The family of grapes is quite big. There are around 8000 grape varieties and 60 different species of grapes under the genus Vitis.
54. To make a bottle of wine, 2.5 pounds of grapes are used.
55. Concord is the place where blue grapes are produced. They have different taste and can survive in colder climates.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 56-60
56. 25% of the grapes in USA are imported from Chile.
57. Grapes makes into the top 10 favorite fruit list. The list also has fruits like mangoes (king of fruits), tomatoes, bananas etc.
58. On an average a person gulps down 3.6 kilograms of grapes each year.
59. Raisins or simply dried grapes (for our Brits) contains only 15% water.
60. To produce 15,000 glasses of wine, one acre of grapes has to be produced.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 61-65
61. Grapes have around 80% of water.
62. If you eat many grapes, they act as laxative (it is good if you are suffering from constipation).
63. 72 million tons of grapes are produced all over the world.
64. Australia produces nearly 1.4 billion liters of wine each year.
65. The largest food-based industry in this world is grape producing industry.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 66-70
66. An insect, native of America, came in contact with the grapevines in Europe and destroyed many of them.
67. Napa Valley, California has the highest number of wineries (200 of them).
68. Ruby Roman grapes, one of the most expensive fruits in the world, sell at around 4,000 USD on an average!
69. According to a study published in Trends in Genetics journal, scientists and researchers think that grapes are around 65 million years old.
70. Production of wine from grapes started as early as 5000 BCE.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 71-75
71. The oldest known cultivation of grapes started around 8,000 years ago in Georgia.
72. According to FAO, 29,292 square miles of land is used for the cultivation of grapes.
73. Skin of grapes have yeast naturally. Yes, you read that right. The type of yeast and amount of yeast depends on the types of grapes, geographic and climatic conditions.
74. According to a study published in Microbial Ecology journal, the riper the grape, more is the presence of yeast on its skin.
75. Grapes can be grown anywhere in the USA. Varieties of grapes are best grown in some areas, but overall you can grow grapes all over the USA.
Juicy Grape Facts for You: 76-80
76. USA is the largest importer of table grapes.
77. Ashrita Furman, US resident, holds the Guinness World Record for eating 186 grapes in 3 minutes! He accomplished this feat in the year 2011.
78. 7.2 trillion gallons of wine is produced every year.
79. Grape festivals are celebrated across the world to celebrate the harvesting of the grapes and production of grape products like wine.
80. Grape leaves are not only edible, but are also loaded with minerals like Calcium and Magnesium and has Omega-3 fatty acids too!