Veraison and Engustment

We just got word that the grapes are ripe and ready for picking. It'll be interesting to see what the brix is after the rainfall these last couple of days. It didn't rain too much and Friday was a gorgeous day. Beau is arriving late tonight and the guys are planning on going out Sunday to harvest the grapes. In a commercial winery, once veraison occurs (the change in color of the grape berries), the winemaker keeps a close eye on multiple factors to signal ripeness for picking.

Here's a picture of veraison occuring in our own Oregon backyard somewhere around the end of July. We have two types of grapes that you'll see in this picture. We still haven't figured out what kind of grapes the red ones are but they don't seem to be pinot noir because they don't have prominent seeds. Maybe pinot gris? The white grapes have an incredible floral flavor and have the hints of a riesling.

Brix is one of the factors which signal ripeness (sugar levels), pH is another (level of acidity). The scientific measurements are one side of that decision. The other side is the actual taste of the grape berries or the physiological ripeness. In french they call this engustment. The numbers may be where they need to be but the aroma or flavor may not. The tannins (the flavors that come from the skin and seed that give wine that bitter or astringent texture) need to mature. All these factors can change significantly in a matter of days, so it's important for the winemaker to monitor his or her vineyard daily. Once all the factors line up in place, the winemaker makes the call to harvest the grapes and that's when the fun begins.