the propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. grapevines, most of which belong to the "vitis vinifera" family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for individual vines. while some centenarian old vine examples of grape varieties exist, most grapevines are between the ages of 10 and 30 years. as vineyard owners seek to replant their vines, a number of techniques are available which may include planting a new cutting that has been selected by either clonal or mass (massal) selection. vines can also be propagated by grafting a new plant vine upon existing rootstock or by layering one of the canes of an existing vine into the ground next to the vine and severing the connection when the new vine develops its own root system.