Measuring Brix for Picking
At Stoller, we take great care in harvesting our grapes at optimal maturity. In order to determine ripeness, a representative sample of each fruit is macerated – the process of soaking crushed grapes, seeds and stems into a must – to mimic the crushing process. The residual juice from maceration is then evaluated for its brix, which is the measurement of dissolved sugar within the liquid. Sugar ultimately indicates the potential alcohol content present within the fruit and serves as a sign for when to harvest.