It’s still harvest time, but how does one know when the grapes are right for picking? For those of us who attempt gardening, it’s fairly easy to know when to pick a tomato, a pepper or even herbs. Telltale signs from color, to feel, to smell give us the exact moment we should pluck the fruits of our labor from the vine. Wine grapes, however, are quite a bit more complicated!
Ask the same question of a wine maker and you may get what seems to be a flippant answer. Something similar to “when you know you know!” Well my friends, that tells me not a thing! When it comes right down to it, the mad scientist actually re-appears. Chemistry I tell you, chemistry. Seriously! The chemical composition of the grapes skin, pulp, juice and even stems play a crucial role in harvesting at just the right time! Let’s break down a few of the key elements for success.
What can go wrong?
Acidity, oh that bright, tart, crisp acidity. Grapes picked too early have exceedingly high acidity. This can result in bitter tasting wine which can be off putting and unbalanced. Grapes picked too late will have too little acidity and wines can taste flabby or flat. Just as a soda which has lost its fizz tastes awful, a wine without enough acidity fails to bring out fruit flavors and keep alcohol levels balanced. Grapes grown in cool regions often have high acidity which defines their style. Grapes picked too soon, however, can have acidity levels too high for consumption. Winemakers have a few tricks in their pocket to minimize acidity. Ultimately, the goal is to find the perfect point where the grapes are right for picking.
Flavor may seem like a “duh!” response. But, the flavor of wine grapes at harvest and the resulting wine after fermentation, aging and bottling may be more like distant cousins than siblings. Unripe grapes simply do not have enough flavor built up to deliver quality wine. Think about the difference in flavor between an unripe pear and a fully ripe pear. The same holds true for grapes. Who’s with me in wanting wine with great flavor?
Skin color may also seem super obvious, but all grapes start life green. For red wine varietals, the magic transformation from green to luscious deep red, dark purple, almost black is called “veraison”. It is the moment grapes begin to really change or truly set into ripening mode. As the skin provides color, tannin and flavor to red wines. This ensures the skins reach full ripeness and are ripe for picking.
Sugar! (Dut dut dee do doot do), ah honey, honey. Sing it with me now! Brix, the wine term for sugar level in grapes may be one of the most crucial elements to the magic trick. In the core chemistry formula of wine making, Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol, winemakers closely track sugar levels. This will ensure the resulting wine has exactly the right level of alcohol to balance the acidity and flavor complexity of the wine. Too much alcohol and wine can taste hot or flat. Pop the cork on an 12% chardonnay versus a 15% chardonnay and you’ll see what I mean!
Is all lost if things don’t all align?
Winemakers look for the perfect moment in time when acidity is perfect. When sugar is at the exact level to transition to the right level of alcohol. When skins have transitioned to the perfect color and thickness to extract just the right amount of tint and tannin. And when flavor levels have developed to bring everything together to deliver the winemaker’s vision of fruit flavor and complexity. If any of these elements is under developed or over developed, winemakers must take things into their own hands. They can then enhance what Mother Nature delivered. Winemaker at Bevan Cellars and PerUs, Russell Bevan goes into great detail on when to harvest in our Somm Women Talk Wine interview for our podcast!
Bottom line, it happens, you pop the cork on a bottle of wine and something just isn’t right. It’s bitter. It’s flabby. It tastes like a bell pepper. It leaves your throat hot like cough syrup. Sadly, this indicates an imbalance in the wine. Fear not, my friend! This is not the norm! But if you do happen to experience an unbalanced bottle, simply use it for cooking! See, even an unbalanced wine can be right for picking, just not for drinking!
Cheers!
