Grapevine (heraldry)

Grapevine with grape and leaves
( Gumpoldskirchen AT)

Three leafy and fruiting vines
( Grafenberg DE)

The grapevine , also just called vine and grape , the representation of the wine (noble grapevine, Vitis vinifera ssp.) , Can be found in heraldry in many coats of arms in wine-growing areas and in the coats of arms of many winegrowing families . The entire vine as a picture is also possible, or just the vine leaves or grapes .

presentation

The vine is a common figure in heraldry and is represented stylized, in most cases with vine leaves ( leafy ) and with grapes ( fruiting ) . All colors are possible, but the foliage on the vine stem is preferably shown in green. It can fill the shield alone in the coat of arms or in large numbers.

The grapevine with its tendrils is suitable for a very decorative design and can be found in the most varied of forms. In traditional coats of arms, the design is also an important agricultural historical testimony to local forms of cultivation.

special representations
Grapevine in three pass
( Neuweier DE)
split by red, silver and black; the front gap occupied by a grapevine, the rear gap by a clematis
( Tiefenbach AT)
Poysdorf coat of arms with veal grape

Special use and others for viticulture

A bunch of grapes or a vine is also the attribute of St. Urban , who is venerated as the patron saint of winemakers. It is often not clear whether a grape in the coat of arms is to be understood as an attribute of the saint or merely as a general symbol for viticulture.

Grapevines can also be found as part of talking coats of arms , for example in the coats of arms of Weingarten (Württemberg) , Weingarten (Baden) , Roßwein or Weinsberg . The coat of arms of Hennef (Sieg) shows a bunch of grapes on the shield .

In heraldry many objects of've viticulture made their way to the crest. The vine knife , also called vintner's knife , Hippe, Sesel or Hape, is often placed next to the grape or on its own in the coat of arms. The wine ladder as a loading aid for barrels can also be found in the growing regions. The wine press like in Pressbaum or the wine barrel are rarer. All of these items are counted among the common figures.

The coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate is equipped with a people's crown made of vine leaves.