Red and Ripening

A week on and the grapes are ripening well.  Last week it was Rows 5 & 6 that led the race 15.2 Brix (8.4 Baume’) and they have moved on to 17 Brix (9.4 Baume’), We decided to test a couple of other rows that were not part of last week’s testing and Rows 32-33 returned a 17.2 Brix (9.6 Baume’),

 These are positive results as it wasn’t an ideal week for ripening as we had three days over 38 deg C. Vines tend to shut down at these temperatures, so a full Baume’ increase in a week is a good outcome. It keeps us on track for a start to picking around the 8th March and continue on for 2 or 3 weeks. If we get the right conditions don’t be surprised if this date comes forward a bit.

Happy days!