Black grapes are dark-skinned, purple-to-almost-black grape varieties, as distinct from green and lighter red grapes; the category covers many different cultivars rather than one specific grape. Vitis vinifera grapes were first domesticated in the Caucasus region several thousand years ago and later spread through the Mediterranean; dark-skinned varieties are grown today in wine regions worldwide, including France, Italy, Spain, and California. They taste sweeter and more full-bodied than green grapes, with jammy dark-berry and plum notes and tannic skins, and serve both as red wine grapes and as table fruit. In Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking they also turn up in savory dishes such as tagines and stews, where their sweetness balances tomatoes or rich meats, alongside their more familiar role in jams, juices, and desserts.