Where do grapes come from?

Grapes are fruit that come from woody climbing vines; there are three species of grapes:  black, green, and red, which is a hybrid.  Grapes are sources of potassium, vitamins B-6 and C, and thiamine. 

The oldest cultivated fruit, grapes date back to earliest civilizations.  Some authorities believe that they go back 7000 years to Western Asia.  Drawings in Egyptian burial sites attest to the fact that grapes were grown as early as 2375 B. C.  The Greeks and Romans certainly cultivated grapes.  With the fall of the Roman Empire, viticulture was adopted by the Gauls; later, the French elevated winemaking to an art.  It is interesting that the French word for grape is raisin, which, of course, is the English word for the dried grape.