grape
/ɡreɪp
/- Both are made from white or black grapes, or from a mixture of the two.
- One of the original methods of producing rosé was to mix white grapes with black at the fermentation stage.
Synonyms
- It was while on engineering business in France that he fell under the grape's spell and decided to bring wine and wine culture home.
- He did a brief stint in the insurance industry, but his love of the grape soon led him to the wine business.
Synonyms
- The naval commander, in his barrage covering the landing, used round shot instead of grape or canister, in order to minimize casualties.
- Grape shot was widely used in the 19th century wars, but by the time of the American Civil War, grape was primarily used by navel gun crews.
Derivatives
grapey
- Honestly, the only significant thought I had about this wine was: ‘it's very grapey.’
- Floral and grapey aromas take on a slight apricot and citrus edge before offering dry to off-dry flavours of fresh firm apricots with an orangey citrus tang and earthiness on the finish.
- With the Riesling, this makes for one of the driest wines in France, in no way resembling the flowery, grapey Riesling of the German Rhine.
Origin
Middle English (also in the Old French sense): from Old French, 'bunch of grapes', probably from graper 'gather grapes', from grap 'hook' (denoting an implement used in harvesting grapes), of Germanic origin.
A grape was originally not an individual berry but the whole bunch. It can be traced back to Old French grap ‘hook’, specifically a vine hook used for harvesting grapes. Grapple (Middle English), first used to refer to a grappling hook, has a similar origin, and a grapefruit (early 19th century) is so called because it grows in clusters, like grapes. To hear something on the grapevine is to get information by rumour or by unofficial communication. The expression comes from the American Civil War, when news was said to be passed ‘by grapevine telegraph’. Bush telegraph (late 19th century), originally an Australian term, is based on a similar idea. The phrase sour grapes describes an attitude of pretending to despise something because you cannot have it yourself. The source is Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes. In the story a fox tries to reach a bunch of juicy grapes hanging from a vine high above his head. After several attempts he gives up and stalks off, muttering that they were probably sour anyway.