We are just now seeing the first signs of veraison in the vineyard. What does that mean? Notice the Concord grapes are turning pink and purple. This is a pretty important stage in winegrowing marking the countdown to harvest.
Veraison is a physiological stage in the vine life cycle marked by changes in the appearance and hardness of the grape berry. In both white and red grapes, the onset of veraison marks the end of grape skin cell division and the size of the berries are set. Up until now, the berries are very firm. Once they finish veraison, the berries are pliable and can be squeezed. This elasticity is one of the only ways to observe veraison in white wine grapes.
The interval from veraison to harvest is different for each varietal, and is largely dependent on heat accumulation and crop size. The Concord grapes here go through veraison first and it’s about six weeks to harvest after the majority of the berries change color, say the middle of September. All our wine grapes are later than Concords to go through veraison and some take more than six weeks to ripen for harvest. However, David is already working on equipment in preparation for harvest.
What does this mean to you? Once the grapes go through veraison, the vineyard is at its most interesting and beautiful time to visit and photograph. Mid August through Harvest is a great time to Visit and Taste!