# Verasion



## rob (Aug 3, 2013)

Véraison is a viticulture (grape-growing) term meaning "the onset of ripening". It is originally French, but has been adopted into English use. The official definition of veraison is "change of color of the grape berries." Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur at veraison.


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 4, 2013)

So have the Brianna hit veraison yet?


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## saddlebronze (Aug 4, 2013)

Just beginning on the Marquette here in CT


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## rob (Aug 5, 2013)

Yes The Brianna have come into Verasion


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## UBB (Aug 8, 2013)

Maquette is turning now here in South Central ND. Now to get the nets up ASAP!


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## UBB (Aug 21, 2013)

Bumping this thread instead of creating another one. I had the refractometer out yesterday and this is what I found.

The Brianna is averaging 18

The Marquette is at 16

The LaCrescent is averaging 15

If my target brix for each variety is: 20, 25 & 25 what kind of time frame am I typically looking at? I know multiple factors are in play but am looking for a ball park figure so I can plan accordingly.


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## rob (Aug 21, 2013)

UBB, your Brianna could be picked this week end, the winery that buys ours likes them 15 to 17. I think they are trying to get a little more acid in them, their wine is very good!


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## saddlebronze (Aug 21, 2013)

Here is what we have in CT
LaCrosse 15.5
St. vin 5.5
Marquette 15
Frontenac 14.8
Front Gris 13.2
Fr Blanc 13.8
Chardonel 4.5

Any idea what my targets should be?


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## grapeman (Aug 21, 2013)

saddlebronze said:


> Here is what we have in CT
> LaCrosse 15.5 21 or so
> St. vin 5.5
> Marquette 15 25-26
> ...


 
See the comments in red


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## spaniel (Aug 23, 2013)

I harvested my Cayuga White on 8/24 last year, at 19.5 Brix. Yesterday they were 12 Brix. I was hoping to use the extended Labor Day weekend to make wine but I don't think it's going to happen.

My wine was (fairly) judged in a competition as "not having a lot of fruit left", ie the flavor was just a bit flat. I've hesitant to harvest below 19 Brix....especially right now they taste awfully tart....thoughts? I was just going to switch from Cotes des Blancs to 71B and see what that did.


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## fivebk (Aug 23, 2013)

Save some juice and freeze it. After fermentation is complete stabilize it and add the juice. ( F-pack) if you want it dry just don't stabilize it and it should ferment slowly, thus adding more flavor either way.

BOB


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## Logwerx (Aug 24, 2013)

My Valiants are at 12.5 brix today. Should I be shooting for 20-25 also?


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## grapeman (Aug 24, 2013)

spaniel said:


> I harvested my Cayuga White on 8/24 last year, at 19.5 Brix. Yesterday they were 12 Brix. I was hoping to use the extended Labor Day weekend to make wine but I don't think it's going to happen.
> 
> My wine was (fairly) judged in a competition as "not having a lot of fruit left", ie the flavor was just a bit flat. I've hesitant to harvest below 19 Brix....especially right now they taste awfully tart....thoughts? I was just going to switch from Cotes des Blancs to 71B and see what that did.


 If you switch it will be even more flat as the 71B converts some of the malic acid. Also a lot of wineries prefer Cayuga below 18 brix the preserve the flavor and acid. Chaptalize (add sugar) if necessary.


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## spaniel (Aug 24, 2013)

grapeman said:


> If you switch it will be even more flat as the 71B converts some of the malic acid. Also a lot of wineries prefer Cayuga below 18 brix the preserve the flavor and acid. Chaptalize (add sugar) if necessary.



Interesting. I thought people were recommending 71B for a fruitier wine. What yeast would you recommend?

They are still darn tart at 12 brix, plenty of acid. I'm willing to try harvesting at 17-18 for one year and see how it goes. Chaptalization is necessary even at 19 so I'm not concerned with having to do that.

On another note, walking the vineyard today my brother-in-law noticed that the Oberlin Noir in the sunniest spot at the end of the row looked even a bit over-ripe. So I tested both them and the Foch....19 Brix on the Oberlin, 21 on the Foch. I would need to pull my log but I don't think I've gotten the Foch over 20 in prior years before having to pull them so I said "good enough" and harvested them today...8+ gallons of must from 17 producing vines. I got 2+ gallons finished wine off 20 vines last year, so they are really maturing well. After inspecting the Oberlin further, I think I will harvest them tomorrow. It is hard to find information on them, I am not sure how high I should expect them to go. I did not run acid yet but the taste test says it's not high and they are probably only going to go downhill if I leave them.

It's been a strange year, this is the first time the Cayuga hung longer than the Foch.


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