The plant called Vinifera Vitis, usually used for the grape production, grows up in a zone among Europe, North Africa and Asia. It was introduced in France by Fenici population in the 600 a.C.; the Roman introduced it in Germany in the 2nd century d.C. Currently the world-wide production of table grape exceeds over seventy million quintals; Italy has the supremacy, over fifteen millions, and the region Puglia is the biggest producer (65%).
The consumption of table grape is really important for the human diet, above all thanks to the soluble sugar in high percentage (around 18%). The grape contains few vitamin C, few minimal proteins and richs, but is full of potassium and poor of sodium. It has few diuretic properties and it can be useful to whom suffers from stipsi. The grape juice is suggested for people that want to avoid the consumption of peels and seeds.
It can be also used to prepare cakes, jam and soft ice-cream. The period of commercialization of the Italian production is between june and January. The maximum quantity is caught up in the month of September, stable in the two months later, and coming down in December.

NOURISHMENT VALUES

VARIETY
Black Magic - Black with seeds, premature, bunch of around 600 gr., berries of lengthened ellipsis shape with a neutral flavour and weight of around 6 gr. This variety covered with plastic, at the end of june has a brix level of 13% and 15.4% at the half of July.

Vittoria - White with seeds, ripe in the second decade of August. Covered with plastic, is collected starting from 10th and 20th July. It has a good development of the bunch (800 gr.) and of the berries (10 gr.). The Vittoria grape with the new systems is replacing the other cultivations till now commercialized at the beginning of July.

Centennial - White without seeds, ripe in the second decade of August. It has a cylinder-conical bunch, spargolo, weight of 700 gr. (with a gibberelline treatment). Through a protected cultivation with plastic covers, there is an advance of ripeness of around 30 days (instead of the uncovered vineyard) and it is collected in the first decade of July, with a brix level of 13-14%.

Sugraone - White without seeds, has the best features among the seedless varieties: premature, conical bunch, compact, ovoidal medium-large berry, yellow, pulp crisp, excellent flavour qualities, and is suitable to the techniques with plastic cover. In protected cultivation it has remarkablly increased fertility of gems and production.

Big Perlon - Black without seeds, with ripeness in the second decade of August. With the plastic cover allows the harvest starting form 10th and 20th July. This variety has a big bunch, weight around 800 gr., productive and fertile. Among the apirene varieties, it is the only one that guarantees a remarkable ripeness, with the ring tapping improves the characteristics of the bunch and the berries, pruning and combing of the bunch, treatments with acid gibberellico (approximately 60 ppm).

Sublima - White without seeds. It belongs to the Apirena variety, has a remarkable ripeness and a good bunch shape, compact with a weight of 700 gr.

Michele Palieri - Black with seeds, it has a big bunch and is suitable to the plastic cover system that allows an earlier ripeness. It has been soon accepted in some markets, but is not spread world-wide.

Italia - White with seeds, is the most sold variety in the world. She has excellent features: great bunch, weight of about 800-900 gr., yellow color. It is covered with plastic and its commercialization starts from the beginning of the second decade of August until half January.

Red Globe - Black with seeds, ripeness and harvest since september to the end of December. Its bunch is well developed, enough compact, weight around 1000 gr. There is an high demand of this variety in the greater international markets of the world.

Other varieties to remember are: Regina b., Cardinal n., Matilde b., Alfonso Lavallée n., Regina dei Vingeti b., Primus b. etc.