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A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture.

A vineyard is often characterised by its terroir, a French term loosely translating as " a sense of place" that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted in the wine. Terroir refers to the combination of natural factors associated with any particular vineyard. These factors include such things as soil, altitude, slope of hill or terrain, orientation toward the sun, and microclimate (typical rain, winds, humidity, temperature variations, etc.)

The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural consideration when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the vine is exposed to. The ideal circumstance for a vine is an area of thin topsoil and subsoil that sufficiently retains waters but also has good drainage so that the vine roots don't become overly saturated. There are several minerals that are vital to the health of vines that all good vineyard soils have. These include calcium which helps to neutralize the Soil pH levels, iron which is essential for photosynthesis, magnesium which is an important component of chlorophyll, nitrogen which is assimilated in the form of nitrates, phosphates which encourages root development, and potassium which improves the vine metabolisms and increases it health for next year's crop.

Vineyards are often on hillsides and on soil of marginal value to other plants. Planting on hillsides, especially those facing south, is most often in an attempt to maximize the amount of sunlight that falls on the vineyard. For this reason some of the best wines come from vineyards planted on quite steep hills, conditions which would make most other agricultural products uneconomic. The stereotypical vineyard site for wine grapes is a hillside in a dry climate with a southern exposure, good drainage to reduce unnecessary water uptake, and balanced pruning to force the vine to put more of its energy into the fruit, rather than foliage.

Grape varieties Grapes belong to the Vitaceae family. The genus Vitis is broadly distributed, largely between 25° and 50° N latitude in eastern Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America

Three important species and one hybrid group comprise most of grape production worldwide: the Muscadine grape, the Fox grape (the Concord), the European or Wine grape. The Muscadine grape is the species which is extremely vigorous and disease tolerant and is well-adapted to the southeastern USA. The Fox grape is the species which is used primarily for sweet grape juice and associated products - jelly, jam, preserves. The European or Wine grape is the species which accounts for over 90% of world grape production. Most of the production is used to make wine, but it is also the primary species used for table (fresh eating) and raisin grape production.

  Botanical description All Vitis are " lianas" or woody, climbing vines. Leaves vary in shape and size depending on species and cultivar. For example, Muscadine grapes have small, round, unlobed leaves with dentate margins. Most grapes are self-fruitful and do not require pollinizers. Pollination is accomplished by wind and to a lesser extent insects.

  Grapes are true berries; small, round to oblong, with up to 4 seeds. Berries are often glaucous, having a fine layer of wax on the surface. Skin is generally thin, and is the source of the anthocyanin compounds giving rise to red, blue, purple, and black colored grapes.

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