Pick or wait?

[Logwerx]

Right now my Valiants are @18 brix, but they are starting to raisin. The weather has been HOT HOT HOT, now it is supposed to rain this next week.

 

[saddlebronze]

Ah, the ultimate question. Dealing with that very question myself this year. I was just reading an article on California Pinots and those who waited had mixed results. If you cant take the losses from the rain, it is better to pick than have nothing. We are in the same spot and I will probably pick right before the next rain. Rain plumps up the berries, but lowers the brix and accelerates rot. If they taste good (sweet and low acid bitterness) it might be time.

 

[jimmyjames23]

I agree. If the berries are sweet and a good ph pick and chaptalize to get your desired specific gravity. Otherwise hold out for a minimum 20 brix and roll the dice.

 

[saddlebronze]

Brought in the Marquette today. The brix keeps going up and down and we are expecting lots of rain. The deciding factor is that the berries were beginning to show raisining and starting to fall off the clusters. I am probably early, but with the heat and wet, I didn't want to come out one morning to nothing. Rolling the dice with Frontenac, since they seem OK so far.

 

[spaniel]

Easier to add sugar than to remove rot....If you let them hang, watch them like a hawk.

 

[Logwerx]

Looks like maybe I should pick then, maybe Fri night. Would it hurt to just bottle them right away? All the rest sounds rather difficult.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Personally - I think I would pick rather than wait
It is a tough choice as i decided to wait some years and it came out great and others - well lets say the birds got to most of them before me