The original wild vine belongs to the genus vitis and it is accepted that it was cultivated for the first time in Asia Minor, south of the Caspian and Black seas. Unfortunately the roots of European vines are susceptible to an insect disease called phylloxera. In order to avoid the disease they are often grafted onto American rootstock, which is largely resistant to the insect.
Vines are perennial, deciduous climbing plants.
They consist of a root system, stem, shoots, runners and flowers which develop to fruit. A vine yields its first crop after three years and is fully productive after five. The average South African vineyard is replaced after 25 years, but depending on factors such as the area in which it is situated and how heavily it has yielded, its life-span may generally be anything between 15 and 30 years. The vine is a remarkable plant which lends itself to selection, propagation and grafting factors which make possible a continuous improvement in both plant and quality. Although most of the vine varieties cultivated here today were originally imported, up to now six local crossings have been released.