The following is cited from a source listed on our source page----------------------------------------------------------
The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000–8,000 years ago in the Near East. The earliest archaeological evidence for a dominant position of wine-making in human culture dates from 8,000 years ago in Georgia.
Yeast, one of the earliest domesticated microorganisms, occurs naturally on the skins of grapes, leading to the innovation of alcoholic drinks such as wine. The earliest known production occurred around 8,000 years ago on the territory of Georgia. During an extensive gene-mapping project, archaeologists analyzed the heritage of more than 110 modern grape cultivars, and narrowed their origin to a region in Georgia, where wine residues were also discovered on the inner surfaces of 8,000-year-old ceramic storage jars. The oldest winery was found in Armenia, dating to around 4000 BC. By the 9th century AD the city of Shiraz was known to produce some of the finest wines in the Middle East. Thus it has been proposed that Syrah red wine is named after Shiraz, a city in Persia where the grape was used to make Shirazi wine. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics record the cultivation of purple grapes, and history attests to the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans growing purple grapes for both eating and wine production. The growing of grapes would later spread to other regions in Europe, as well as North Africa, and eventually in North America.
In North America, native grapes belonging to various species of the Vitis genus proliferate in the wild across the continent, and were a part of the diet of many Native Americans, but were considered by European colonists to be unsuitable for wine. Vitis vinifera cultivars were imported for that purpose.
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Common name---Grape
Species name---Over 60 species, a commonly known one would be Vitis vinifera, Which is originally from Europe.
Genus name---Vitis
Family name---Vitaceae
Symptoms---Renal failure and lack of urination in dogs
Treatments---Little is known about the mechanism, so there are currently no known treatments that are tailored to this. If your dog ingested grapes or raisins and is having symptoms, it would be best to contact your local vet to see if they could perform some form of surgery to save your pet.
Toxic parts---Unknown, but is related to the grape itself and not the vine.
Location of plant---all around the world. Has strong roots in Europe.
Interesting facts---Grapes come in 7 known colors: red, black, gold, green, purple, white, and blue. Grapes have been thought to cure people, for example, in ancient China, they were mixed with snakes to cure illness. The oldest grape vine is in America and is 400 years old!! Wine has been made from grapes since as far back as 5000 BC. One acre of grapes can produce 15,000 glasses of wine. Over 72 million tons of grapes are produced in the US each year. Nappa valley has the largest number of winerys in the world, with 200 in all.
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