🌿 Vitis amurensis

Vitis amurensis is a wild grape of East Asia. It grows in the Far East, in north-eastern China and in Korea, along the Amur River and in nearby forests. The vine is vigorous and climbs trees, the leaves turn red in autumn, and the berries are small and sour.

The main trait of the species is frost hardiness. It survives very hard winter cold that kills ordinary European grapes. That is why plant breeders value the Amur grape.

It is crossed with cultivated grapes to produce hybrids that can be grown in cold areas without winter covering. Such hybrid varieties made grape growing possible in places where vines once did not survive.

Wine and juice can be made from wild berries, but the species is more often needed as a parent. It belongs to the grapevines in general and is tied to hybrid grapes, to which it passes frost hardiness. European winemakers regard hybrids in different ways.