Because grape varieties come from different species, are widely distributed geographically, and have different uses, many different varieties have been formed.
(1) Classification by variety origin According to the ancestry of different varieties, they can be divided into:
1. European grape system
All such varieties come from European grape (V.vinifera L.) is currently the most widely cultivated type in the world. Through thousands of years of cultivation, the following three ecological and geographical variety groups have been formed:
(1 ) Oriental breed group
Distributed in various countries in Central Asia and the former Soviet Union, as well as in Iran, Afghanistan and other Near Eastern countries. The characteristics are that the underside of the leaves is hairless or less hairy, and each fruit branch mostly bears one ear, and less often has two ears, but the average weight of a single ear is large and the yield is high; the berry shape changes greatly, the seeds are large, and the beak is long. , mostly fresh food type, without aroma. The plant has strong growth potential and weak cold resistance, but is strong in drought resistance, salt-alkali resistance and desert hot wind resistance. my country's ancient varieties such as longan, milk, bottle, black chicken heart, white chicken heart, etc. all belong to the oriental breed group.
(2) Western European breed group
Distributed in Western European countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and other countries. The characteristic is that there are often filamentous hairs on the underside of the leaves, and there are three or four fruit ears on each fruiting branch. The fruit ears are not large and dense. The fruit ear is cylindrical or conical, the yield is medium, the berries are round, small or medium in size; the seeds are small and the beak is short. Most of them are brewed varieties, and the more famous varieties include Aligote, Riesling, Pearl of Csaba, Pinot, etc. This group of varieties has a short growing season and strong cold resistance.
(3) Black Sea species group
Distributed in Georgia, Moldavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Characteristics are that there are often filamentous hairs on the underside of the leaves, and there are several fruit ears on each fruiting branch. The yield is high, the fruit ears are medium in size, and the ears are tight; the berries are round, sparsely oval, medium in size, and the pulp is juicy; the seeds are not large. Most of the varieties in this category are brewing varieties or varieties for raw food and brewing, and a few are fresh food varieties. Representative varieties include Gross Colman, Shaperavi (or late red honey, Саперави), Barmit (Памид), etc. The growth period is short, the growth potential is medium or strong, the cold resistance is strong but the drought resistance is weak. Some traits are intermediate between Eastern breed groups and Western European breed groups.
In addition to the above three breed groups, some scholars have recently proposed that two more breed groups should be added, namely the North African breed group and the Eastern Mediterranean breed group. For details, please refer to the relevant content above.
2. American grape system
This category of varieties all belong to the American grape species (V. labrusca L.). There are not many varieties in production cultivation that originate from pure American grapes. The common characteristics of these varieties are that the tendrils are continuous, the undersides of the leaves are often covered with white or brown hairs, the fruits are easy to separate from the pulp, the seeds are difficult to separate from the pulp, they have a strawberry flavor, and they have strong disease resistance and cold resistance. The more famous varieties include Concord, Champion, Hartford, Moor early, Catawba, Pocklington, etc.
3. European and American hybrid system
Most of these varieties are hybrids of European grapes and American grapes. Most of them are cold-resistant, disease-resistant, and resistant to high temperatures and humidity, so they are suitable for cultivation in various environments and are therefore widely promoted. However, these varieties often have a strong taste of American grapes. The seeds and pulp are difficult to separate and contain fleshy sacs. Therefore, most varieties have poor wine-making characteristics. In some Western European countries, there are even laws restricting the use of such varieties in wine production. . Representative varieties include Siebel, Delaware, Bacco, Seyve-Villard, Campdell early, and Royal Rose. ), white banana, Kyoho, etc.
4. European mountain hybrids
A type of variety bred from the cross between European grapes and East Asian Vitis vinifera (V.amurensis Rupr). It has better cold resistance and disease resistance. Strong, representative varieties such as Beichun, Gongniang No. 1, Gongniang No. 2, Mountain Rose, etc.
5. Muscadine grape system
These varieties belong to the muscadine grape (V. rotundifolia). The fruits have a special aroma and the wine they produce is unique. Since the aroma is lost quickly after harvesting, fresh fruits are generally only sold locally. Mainly cultivated in the southeastern United States, it has strong resistance to disease, humidity and heat. Representative varieties include Scuppemong, Hunt, Thomas, Burgaw, etc.
(2) Classification by use
1. Fresh food varieties
The fruit ears are required to be large or medium, beautiful in appearance, not too dense, and the fruit size is neat. Mature and consistent. The fruit is preferably large, but can also be medium-sized. The peel is medium-thick and has no astringent taste and no rust spots. The color can be various, including purple, white, black, and pink, but it should be fresh and beautiful. The skin, flesh and core should be easy to separate, and the flesh should be crispy or soft and juicy, preferably aromatic; the flavor should be sour and sweet, mainly sweet, with a sugar content of 15%-20% or more and an acid content of 0.7%. about. At the same time, fresh food varieties should have a certain ability to withstand storage and transportation. They should not deteriorate after short-term storage and transportation, and the fruit stems and pulp should not be separated. The excellent fresh food varieties in production include Milk, Queen of Vineyard, Sabah Pearl, Muscat Hamburg, Kyoho, etc.
2. Winemaking varieties
Wine can be roughly divided into two categories, table wine and dessert wine. Table wine contains less than 14% alcohol and contains little or no unfermented sugar, so it is also called "dry wine". The grapes required to produce this kind of wine are required to have medium sugar content (16%-22%), medium or high acid content (0.83%-1.14%), high juice yield, and fresh aroma. The varieties for making red wine require richer pigments.
Sweet wine contains more than 14% alcohol, usually 17%-20%. With a few exceptions, these wines contain moderate to high levels of unfermented glucose. In order to prevent fermentation, an appropriate amount of wine alcohol is added when the sugar drops to a certain level. The grapes required to produce this kind of wine require high sugar content (22%-36%), low acid content (0.4%-0.7%), strong aroma, and the red wine requires a rich color.
Excellent white wine varieties include Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Baiyu (Ркацители), Baiya (Баяящцреǔ), etc. Excellent red wine-making varieties include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Blue French, Late Red Honey, and Mophija (Φетяска Нягра).
3. Dried varieties
Required to have high sugar content, low acid content, hard pulp, and low water content. After drying, the pulp remains soft, even in color, and finely wrinkled, and is suitable for storage No adhesion for a long time. Seedless varieties are best. The world-famous dried varieties include Thompson Seedless, Black Corinth, and Muscat of Alexandria. The seedless variety Jingzaojing bred by the Beijing Botanical Garden in my country can also be used as a dried variety. Pied grapes can also be used as dried varieties, but the stones need to be removed by machine.
4. Juice making varieties
It requires high juice yield, moderate sweetness and sourness, sugar content of 18%-20%, acid content of 0.5%-0.6%, and a certain fragrance. The juice is bright in color, easy to clarify, and the flavor remains unchanged after storage. Varieties containing the taste of American grapes are suitable for Pasteur sterilization method, such as Conco, Camber, etc.; while European grapes such as Riesling and Chasselas are suitable for non-Pasteur sterilization method, such as ultrafiltration production process .
5. Varieties for canning and making sauce
The fruits are required to be large, thick-fleshed, less juicy, seedless or with small seeds, and fragrant. Common varieties include seedless white, white rose, white lotus seed, Jingzaojing, seedless red, milk, etc.
(3) Classification by maturity period
Whether grape berries can mature normally depends on the effective accumulated temperature from germination to full maturity of the fruit. Different varieties require different effective accumulated temperatures. Therefore, according to the effective accumulated temperature required for grape berry ripening, grape varieties can be divided into five major types: very early maturity, early maturity, medium maturity, late maturity and very late maturity. The specific accumulated temperature indicators and representative varieties are shown in the table. 3-4-5.
Table 3-4-5 Effective accumulated temperature and development days of grape varieties at different maturity stages