Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Ripening: Changes in the Grape Berry

The weather outside is frightful! We have had two days of temperatures in the teens following a snowstorm that brought between 4-6 inches of snow in our area on Saturday. So, today finds me toasty and warm, reading an article that appeared in the online journal, ScienceDaily called On the scent of a wine's bouquet1. The article mentions that the majority of wines are produced from about 20 different types of grapes that each possess their own aroma profile.
Aroma compounds accumulate in the ripening grape skin and are comprised of terpenes. There was a beautiful photo of the ripening grape shown here:
The above photo reminded me of what I was reading about grape berry growth and the process of ripening which is associated with:2
  • tissue softening
  • a decrease in acidity
  • the accumulation of sugars
  • the synthesis of anthocyanins (in red-skinned varieties)
  • the acquisition of aroma compounds
The ripening stage can last from 5-8 weeks.

References:
1. ScienceDaily, On the scent of a wine's bouquet, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, October 2, 2014.
2. Ronald Jackson, Wine Science Third Edition, Elsevier, 2008, pg. 75.

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