In viticulture, veraison (french: véraison, ) is the onset of the ripening of the grapes. The official definition of ''veraison'' is "change of color of the grape berries". Veraison represents the transition from

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur at veraison.

Process

Grape berries follow a double sigmoid growth curve. The initial phase of berry growth is a result of cell division and

cell expansion Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

. As berry growth of phase I slows this is termed the lag phase. The lag phase is not a physiological growth stage, but an artificial designation between the two growth periods of grape berry development. Post-veraison, fruit acidity decreases due to degradation of malic acid. The degradation of malic acid during ripening makes tartaric acid the predominant acid; grape berries also possess a small amount of citric acid. Tartaric acid accumulates early in phase I of berry growth, while malic acid accumulates at the end of phase I berry growth. At the same time as acidity decreases, hexose sugars are accumulated. The accumulation of hexose sugars ( glucose,

fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...

) is associated with the development of xylem cell discontinuities which reduce the volume of water entering the berry relative to the volume of sugar, resulting in an increase in sugar concentration. Physiologically, the sugar concentration can increase to around 25 percent via sugar development. Further increases in sugar concentration are due to dehydration of the fruit. The deposition of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

into the berry depends on the level of leaf photosynthesis, the number of competing sinks on the vine and sugar accumulation. As ripening continues, the fruit becomes attractive to animals due to changes in aroma from acidic to sweet with fruitiness. As ripening occurs, herbaceous aromas (e.g. methoxypyrazines) are degraded. It is unknown whether the degradation of herbaceous aromas allows fruit aromas to be detected, or if fruity aromas develop later in berry ripening. The berry also changes in color, presumably because

chlorophyll Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...

is broken down. In white cultivars, carotenoids are formed, while in red cultivars,

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

s and xanthophylls are formed. The trigger of veraison is unknown, but may signify the seed reaching maturity, an unlikely signal, however, because seedless berries also proceed through veraison.

Other uses

Fête de la Véraison is a medieval festival held in the famous winemaking village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

References

External links

Site showing images of Veraison
{{Viticulture Viticulture

Process

Other uses

See also

References

External links