Which fruit grows on vines and is used to make wine?

The fruit that grows on vines and is used to make wine is the grape.

Grapes are the fruits of woody vines in the genus Vitis, and botanically they are berries. They usually develop in clusters after the vine’s small flowers are pollinated. The most important species for winemaking is Vitis vinifera, the common grape vine, which originated across parts of the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia.

Grapes can be eaten fresh, dried into raisins, sultanas, or currants, pressed into juice, or fermented into wine and vinegar. During fermentation, yeast converts sugars in grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Although wine can technically be made from other fruits, the unqualified word “wine” normally means fermented grape juice.

Grape cultivation began roughly 8,000 years ago. A useful distinction is that “grape” names the fruit, while “grapevine” names the plant. Most familiar wine varieties belong to Vitis vinifera, though some wines also use grapes from related species or hybrids.