The pedicel of the berry (Fig. 41) generally has a cylindrical shape and only at the apex, i.e., at the point of contact with the berry, does it expand conically, forming the so-called "torus" (pad). However, the torus does not play a role in securing the berry to the pedicel, as one might expect; the torus merely fits tightly against the surface of the berry but does not fuse with it. The attachment of the berry to the rachis is achieved solely by those vascular bundles that pass from the pedicel into the berry and which, after the berry is detached, remain on the torus in the form of a "brush" (Fig. 41). In most cultivars, brown, suberized tubercles ("warts") are more or less densely scattered on the surface of the pedicel and the torus. All berry characteristics present a picture of exceptional diversity among cultivated varieties (Fig. 42).

To determine the general shape of the berry, it was agreed to use the ratio of its length (l) to its maximum width (g), specifically:

  • if l/g is less than 1, the berry is oblate (flattened);
  • if l/g lies within the range of 1.0–1.1, the berry is globose (round);
  • if l/g lies within the range of 1.1–1.3, the berry is oval;
  • if l/g lies within the range of 1.3–1.6, the berry is oblong;
  • if l/g is greater than 1.6, the berry is long.

The widest part of the berry can be located either closer to the torus or closer to the apex of the berry; in the first case, the berry will have an ovoid shape, and in the second case, an obovoid shape. Furthermore, the apex of the berry, where the remnant of the style is usually visible as a small, dried point, can be rounded, obtuse, or, conversely, pointed (Fig. 42).

If a berry is cut longitudinally, i.e., along its long axis, its outlines will appear asymmetrical in most cases. Certain cultivars (for example, Cornichon Blanc) are characterized by falcate (scythe-shaped), curved berries. Müller-Thurgau demonstrated that the asymmetry of grapevine berries depends on the number and arrangement of seeds within them, as the side of the berry containing a seed always develops more strongly than the seedless side (Fig. 43). The shape and size of the berry change particularly drastically in the complete absence of seeds: seedless berries, as a rule, are very small, round, or oblate, even in those cultivars where normal seeded berries in the very same bunch have an oval or oblong shape.

Cultivated grapevine varieties are distinguished by a great diversity of berry color: among them, we find white berries (greenish-white or greenish-yellow), light and dark pink, grey (dirty brown), red, and dark blue (black). However, the color of the berries in each grapevine cultivar changes quite significantly depending on their stage of ripeness. In "white" grapevine cultivars, the herbaceous-green color gradually changes into greenish-white, then into greenish-yellow, and at full maturity or overripeness, yellowish-brown spots appear on them—the so-called "sunscald" (sunburn), covering the side of the berry exposed to the sun. In "black" cultivars, such a complex range of shades is usually not observed during ripening: the berries gradually turn from green to dark blue (almost black). The intensity of berry color shades also depends on the degree of their exposure or shading during ripening (except for "black" cultivars).

The size of the berries in grapevine cultivars varies within very wide limits: there are cultivars with small berries (less than 1 cm in length), but varieties are also known where the berries reach up to 3–4 cm. The size of the berries can change sharply depending on environmental conditions and cultivation methods.

The skin of the berries in some grapevine cultivars is delicate, thin, and easily ruptured, while in others, on the contrary, it is characterized by considerable thickness and toughness. The berry pulp also possesses characteristic varietal features: in some cultivars, due to the thinning of cell walls during ripening, it becomes soft and melting ("melting pulp"), while in other cultivars, the pulp retains a firm, crisp (cartilaginous) consistency even at full maturity. The juice contained in the pulp cells is, as a rule, colorless, and only in a small group of cultivars is it colored red ("teinturier" or "dyer" grapes). The surface of the grapevine berry in almost all cultivars is covered with a thin layer of a waxy substance ("pruine" or bloom), which prevents the surface of the berries from being wetted by atmospheric precipitation.

The normal development of grapevine berries is inseparably linked to the development of seeds within them. Berries in all currently known seedless grapevine cultivars (Korinka Chornaya and Belaya, Askeri, Kishmishes) are very small. Sometimes, in bunches consisting of numerous small seedless berries, one or two berries stand out sharply by their size: these large berries always contain at least one normal seed (a phenomenon quite frequently observed, for example, in bunches of the seedless Korinka cultivar).

In general, all grapevine cultivars are prone to parthenocarpy to a greater or lesser degree, i.e., to the development of ovaries without fertilization of the ovules contained within them. Such "parthenocarpic" berries naturally do not have seeds and are always significantly smaller than normal berries of the same cultivar. Under a combination of unfavorable conditions for pollination, parthenocarpic berry development can become a mass phenomenon in very many grapevine cultivars, especially in those with functionally female flowers. In viticultural practice, this phenomenon bears the very accurate name of "millerandage" (shot berries or "goroshenie"), indicating that the berries only reach the size of a pea.

Under the condition of fertilization and normal development of all ovules, a grapevine berry will contain 4 seeds. However, most frequently, berries contain only 2–3 seeds. The works of various authors (Müller-Thurgau, Academician Lyubimenko, etc.) have established with complete certainty a direct correlation between the size of a grapevine berry and the number of normal seeds contained within it, meaning that berries with 2 seeds are on average larger than those with 1 seed, those with 3 seeds are larger than those with 2, etc.