The correrct brix

[RHansen95693]

This will be our 2nd year at making wine and we're a couple weeks away from harvest. We're trying to time a harvest party to coincide with the correct brix but I can see that's a moving target. We're shooting for a brix of 24 and we were wondering what's the down side if our timing is off and we end up with a 25 or 26? How about if it's a 22 or 23?

 

[KevinL]

Depends on what and where you're harvesting. Certain grapes can only get to a certain point before they start to raisin up.

You'll get a different alcohol content and different residual sugar depending on the yeast used.Typically there is more than just Brix at play though when deciding to harvest. For me in northern Illinois TA is generally my harvest parameter on most of my varieties.

 

[NorCal]

While brix is a measurement of sugar content, I equate that to the resulting flavors that will be in the wine, that change as the grapes spend more time on the vine.

I’ve made 23 brix Cab Franc, which was lighter, more cherry flavors, that I treated lightly with oak, as well as 26 brix Cab Franc, which had black cherry notes and received more oak to compliment the flavor of the wine.

Not better or worse, just different.