As a climbing or trellised plant, canyon grape can be used as a screen or grown on shade structures (6). The fruit is edible, although it is small and tart and its leathery skin does not slip from the pulp like other grapes do (3). The fruit can be used to make jellies, sauces, and juices, or it can be fermented into wine (1,2). Leaves can be eaten and are sometimes used to wrap foods (5). Pueblo Indians and other tribes cultivated the plant and consumed the fruit fresh and dried. Native Americans and early European explorers chewed the leaves to alleviate thirst (2).
The grapes are eaten by a variety of wild animals, including birds, raccoons, and coyotes (1,2,5). Birds often use the plant for nesting sites or for nesting materials (2). V. arizonica is host to a species of seed beetle (Amblycerus vitis) that lays its eggs on the fruit. Once hatched, the larvae burrow into the fruit and eat the contents of a seed, where they remain until they pupate and emerge. The relationship between the Arizona grape and this beetle is so unique that the beetle only inhabits river canyons in Arizona (3).