Veraison

 
 

Photographing at Linden Vineyards on a rare cool and sunny August morning, I couldn’t help noticing the variations of color in the grapes. Where only a few weeks ago I walked past rows and rows of yellow-green grapes, I was now seeing clusters arrayed in a rainbow of hues from bright green to deepest purple. I learned from wine grower Jim Law that the grapes had reached veraison, the point of transition from berry growth to berry ripening. During this process, sugars increase in the grapes and acids decrease, creating color change most obvious in the red varieties (which are green up to this point). This is an exciting time for a vineyard, as once grapes complete veraison (a process that takes 5 to 7 days), the clusters will be ready to pick in about 6 weeks. The countdown for harvest has begun! It’s also a reminder to a photographer who responds to the beauty of grapes and vines that I'd better get to work, as my season in the vineyard will be ending soon.