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    Harvest

    The day sugar, acid and weather say yes.

    Measuring ripeness

    Ripeness is followed through soluble solids in degrees Brix, pH and titratable acidity.1 One degree Brix is one gram of sugar, mostly glucose and fructose, per 100 grams of juice, measured with a refractometer.2 Sugar is the most common measure because it becomes the wine's potential alcohol.2

    (glucose + fructose, g/L) / 16.83 = potential alcohol, % vol3

    A fair sample takes at least 10 clusters, or 100 to 200 berries, from at least 10% of the vines in a block.2

    Champagne

    In Champagne harvesting is entirely by hand. The start date is set when the balance of acidity and ripeness is right, monitored on about 600 control plots.4

    Regions

    Sources

    1. 2025 Post-Veraison in Pennsylvania – October 7 (Hickey, Kwasniewski, Kelly, Centinari). Penn State Extension, 2025. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Evaluating Cold Hardy Wine Grape Maturity (A4154), Atucha & van Zoeren. University of Wisconsin-Extension, 2018. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    3. Preparing for harvest: Grape chemistry and prefermentation adjustments (EM 9583, James Osborne). Oregon State University Extension, 2023. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    4. Harvesting. Comité Champagne. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13