Vine Anatomy - Grapevine Decoded.

A Grapevine is one of the most fascinating plants which exists on our beautiful planet. It produces the most anticipated fruit which is used for wine-making i.e. grapes. To produce wines, knowing one's vineyard is very crucial, the soil being a major aspect and of course the vines. 

@Goblet Vine Training.

Grapevine anatomy is very important for a person who is learning viticulture and wines in general. They work the same way as us, how you train them is what matters. Like for us humans, every part of the vine is equally necessary.

Let us discuss the parts of this plant now and decode them:

@Parts of a grapevine.

Roots: Their principal task is to absorb nutrients, water and minerals from the soil. During winter the vines go into complete dormancy and store carbohydrates to survive through the cold weather. Due to Phylloxera modern vineyards graft Vitis Vinifera on American rootstock.

Leaves: Leaves play a major role as they are responsible for the process of photosynthesis, in which the plants convert sunlight and water into glucose and oxygen. Glucose is very crucial for the plant as it promotes vine growth and helps to ripen the fruits.

Buds: In between the leaf and shoot, buds form in the joint. Every bud contains three growing points, also every bud capable of growing into a shoot, they are also known as primary, secondary or tertiary buds. So, once the bud is formed they matured inside the casing throughout the entire growing season and towards the year-end, it is ready to form a structure that will later become a leaf, tendril and a shoot in the next year.

Shoot: Shoots are tender stems which are formed from the bud. They are a part of the primary growth structure of the vine. Shoots consist of leaves, tendrils, and fruits in the form of berries.

Tendrils: As we all know, the grapevine is a climber and it needs support to form a structure of its own. In short, tendrils provide support to the vine.

@Grapevine leaves and tendrils.

Flower and Berries: Flowers for any fruit growing vine act as the reproductive organ of the plant. Like every other plant, a grapevine has both male and female flowers. The group formed by this bunch of flowers together is called as 'inflorescence'. When a flower gets successfully pollinated it will soon form a berry and then the bunch of flowers will become a bunch of grape soon after.

@Grapevine inflorescence.

One-year-old wood: The shoot will naturally change itself into a woody form after the winter and becomes a cane. The same cane by spring will become a one-year-old wood. One-year-old wood is very important to the grape grower as he/she has to depend on it for the fruits. The vine will only produce fruits from the shoots which have grown from the buds which have developed over the previous year. The one-year-old wood will be called as a 'cane' if it has eight to fifteen buds on it or will be called a 'spur' if it has two or three buds on it.

Permanent wood: This is the most important part of the plant structure as it consists of trunk and arms of the vine. This wood is older than the one-year-old, as well as it is controlled via pruning. The trunk plays an important role as it stores carbohydrates for the following winter, so it can survive the season of dormancy. Not every vine has the same version of the permanent wood.

@Permanent Wood with One year old Wood.

Article by - Nikhil Surve, Certified Sommelier.