Some people who like to drink wine will try to make their own wine, but the grapes they choose are table grapes bought on the market. The quality of wine made from these grapes is of course not as good as that made from professional wine grapes. Do you know the difference between these two grapes?
Different types
Wine grapes and table grapes come from different families. Almost all wine grapes belong to the Eurasian grape (Vitis Vinifera), and some table grapes also come from this family. Most table grapes, however, belong to the American vine (Vitis Labrusca) and the American muscadine (Vitis Rotundifolia), varieties that are hardly used for winemaking but are edible and quite tasty.
2. The appearance is different
Wine grapes usually have compact clusters and smaller berries, while table grapes usually have looser clusters and larger berries. Table grapes are usually about 2 times the size of wine grapes.
3. Different cultivation methods
(1) Wine grapes
Wine vineyards are mostly cultivated in the open field. In order to produce high-quality wine grapes, winemakers usually thin the vines to reduce the yield per vine and improve the quality of the grapes.
If a vine produces too many grapes, it will affect the taste of the grapes; and reducing the yield will make the grape flavor more concentrated. The more concentrated the grapes are, the better the quality of the wine will be produced.
If a vine produces too many grapes, it will affect the taste of the grapes; and reducing the yield will make the grape flavor more concentrated. The more concentrated the grapes are, the better the quality of the wine will be produced.
When table grapes are growing, growers look for ways to increase grape yields. For example, in order to avoid pests and diseases, many fruit farmers will put bags on the grapes that are produced to protect the grapes.
4. The picking time is different
(1) Wine grapes
Wine grapes are picked differently than table grapes. Wine grapes have strict requirements on the picking time. If the picking time is too early, the grapes will not be able to accumulate enough sugar and phenolic substances; if the picking time is too late, the sugar content of the grapes will be too high and the acidity will be too low, which will easily affect the quality of the wine.
But some grapes are harvested intentionally, such as after the snow falls in winter. Such grapes can be used to make ice wine.
table grapes
The harvesting period of table grapes is earlier than the physiological maturity period. When harvesting, the fruit must have the inherent color and flavor of the variety. Generally, it can be picked during the period from June to September, and it is almost impossible to wait until after winter. Therefore, Table grapes are generally harvested earlier than wine grapes.
Skin thickness varies
Wine grape skins are generally thicker than table grape skins, which is of great help to winemaking. Because in the process of brewing wine, sometimes it is necessary to extract enough color, tannin and polyphenolic flavor substances from grape skins, while fresh table grapes have thinner skins, more flesh, more water, less tannins, and are easy to eat. It tastes sweet and delicious, but it is not conducive to winemaking.
6. Different sugar content
Table grapes have a Brix level (a measure of the amount of sugar in a liquid) of 17% to 19%, and wine grapes have a Brix level of 24% to 26%. In addition to the variety itself, the picking time of wine grapes is often later than that of table grapes, which also ensures the accumulation of wine glucose.