Article by Gil "hannaone"
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Grape Image from Pixabay
Weight information obtained from USDA food database

The Early Years:
As early as 6500 B.C., humans began cultivating grapes during the Neolithic era. Around 4000 B.C., grape cultivation spread from Transcaucasia to Asia Minor, and through the Nile Delta. Around 1700 B.C., King Hammurabi of Babylon enacted the world's first liquor law, establishing rules for wine trade.

During the period 3000 B.C., the Hittites migrated westward to Crete, Bosporus, and Thrace, spreading grape culture to the west. The Greeks and Phoenicians later extended grape cultivation to Carthage, Sicily, the south of Italy, into Spain, and then France. Grape production spread throughout Europe with the spread of Roman influence.

Three primary purposes are served by grapes:

Wine: The world produces about 7.2 trillion gallons of wine annually, with about 80% of that produced in Europe (including Italy, France, Spain, and Russia).

The raisin industry uses approximately 3.2 million tons of grapes each year. Since one pound of raisins requires about four pounds of grapes, raisin production is large.

Due to their perishable nature and high transportation costs, fresh table grapes are primarily consumed in countries where they are produced.

Approximately 72 million tons of grapes are produced worldwide each year.