I am going to grab some berries and do some testing now. I found this equation, qhich might help me with determining the ripeness of my grapes:

A historical index of ripeness suggests that optimal sugar / acidity balance is achieved if the product of the Brix value times the square of the pH is in the range of 220 to 260. For example, a 22† Brix juice at pH 3.2 would yield a value of 225.3. Late harvest fruit at a higher pH (24† Brix at pH 3.6, for example) would yield a value (311) outside of this range.

Well, my grapes made some decent progress, but they did they make enough progress to warrant picking on Friday? According to the scale above, the Cabernet Franc will be ripe. The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon will be very close. I’ll have to consult with the winemaker, but I’d prefer to harvest I think…

Here are the numbers:

Cabernet Sauvignon – House, 3.33 pH, 19 brix = 210
Cabernet Franc – House, 3.48pH, 19.1 brix – 231
Merlot – Field, 3.19pH, 20 brix = 203
Cabernet Sauvignon – Field, 3.24pH, 19.8 brix = 207
Cabernet Franc – Field, 3.38pH, 20 brix = 228

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