When to pick grapes in the middle. When are grapes harvested for the winter?
Since grapes are a heat-loving plant, it is quite difficult to grow them in temperate latitudes. The capricious plant needs care all year round. Having a winegrower's calendar on hand for every day, you will know how to care for this crop throughout the entire summer season.
Calendar of work on the vineyard in the table, for 2019
| Date of work | Signs of grape condition | |
| The melting of the snow, the beginning of the "crying vine", the awakening of the buds |
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| The buds are starting to bloom |
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| 3-6 leaves appear, shoots begin to actively grow |
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| The end of the period of return frosts |
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| Flowering begins |
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| The ovary is forming |
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| “Pea” stage, active berry growth |
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| Berries slow down their growth |
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| Softening the berries |
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| The grapes begin to ripen |
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| Crowns are straightened |
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| The grapes are ripening |
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| Completion of harvest |
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| The vine begins to ripen |
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| Period of the first frost |
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| Completion of vine ripening |
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| Work until the first snow |
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Winegrower's calendar for spring 2019
At the beginning of spring, uncovered grape varieties should be checked for cuts, cracks and breaks; sap may be released in these places. It is important not to let the vine “cry”; prune it in the first week of the month.
In March, sap flow has not yet begun, so no active work is required. This is a period of preparation for the next season.
If you are planning to expand your planting, now is the time to purchase new grape varieties. Start preparing the site:
- Choose a well-lit area.
- Prepare the trellises.
- Be sure to check old supports and stock up on materials for repair or replacement.
- In March, you need to stock up on fertilizers for the next season.
When the threat of frost has passed in April, you can remove the winter shelter from the bushes. If you find traces of mold on the vine, do not worry, it will disappear within a few days after opening.
- At the beginning of the month, it is recommended to spray to prevent diseases; use 0.3 kg of Nitrafen per 10 liters of water.
- If in the middle of the month the temperature remains above zero, you can start planting seedlings.
- Before the buds have time to swell, dry tie the grapes: the sleeves are secured at an angle and the arrows are secured horizontally.
In May, it is necessary to constantly remove excess shoots for the correct formation of the bush. It is necessary to leave the most developed arrows. All unnecessary side shoots are regularly broken off, stepsons and upper inflorescences are removed.
- After the formation of five leaves on the sleeves, treatment with fungicides (Impact, Mikal, Vectra, Abiga-Pik, Strobi) should be carried out.
- Examine the bushes for the presence of mites; if found, treat them with acaricides before flowering begins.
- At the end of May, complete planting of seedlings.
Winegrower's calendar from A to Z for summer 2019
The first month of summer is the most important. In the first ten days of June, pinch out the shoots; this procedure will improve pollination of plants.
- Regularly trim as the bushes grow.
- After flowering, it is necessary to apply foliar feeding with Plantafol.
- Do not overload the bush, remove unnecessary clusters (the upper ones are small, or more damaged).
- When the berries begin to actively fill, treat the bunches with Gold or Topaz fungicides.
- Moisten the soil regularly.
In July, the grapevine becomes vulnerable to fungal diseases. Spraying must be done every 3 weeks.
- During the period of filling the berries, the bushes are fed with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium additives, and the young seedlings are fed with any mineral fertilizers.
- Continue regular pinching and tying.
- By the end of July you can get the first harvest of early varieties.
In August, it is necessary to remove nitrogen from fertilizers. Feed young bushes with phosphorus and potassium.
- During this period, generous watering is important. If the leaves wither during a hot day, it is necessary to increase watering.
- At the end of August, the vines are minted (the tops of the shoots are removed at the level of 6-7 leaves from the top).
- If you find brown spots or plaque on the leaves, spray against gray rot with potassium permanganate (5 g per 10-liter bucket of water).
Winegrower's calendar for autumn
In the first month of autumn it is necessary to continue the work of August. Monitor the load on the bushes: if necessary, remove some bunches.
- If powdery mildew is suspected, the bushes should be treated with colloidal sulfur.
- Continue foliar feeding with phosphorus and potassium.
- By the end of September, the active harvest period begins.
In October, it is necessary to complete the harvest before the onset of frost.
- The seedlings are dug up, soaked in water for 6-8 hours and stored.
- 2 weeks after all the foliage has fallen, prune the vine.
- All plant remains are burned, and the soil between the rows is dug up.
By the beginning of November, it is necessary to complete pruning of the vines of covering varieties and carry out the last watering. Before the soil has time to freeze, cover the bushes for the winter.
- If peat or sawdust is used as a fur coat, the procedure can be postponed until light frosts (up to -10 degrees Celsius).
- You can remove the garters from the trellises and remove the remaining vines.
- Be sure to disinfect all tools after pruning.
Caring for grapes in winter
In December and January, it is necessary to monitor the cover of the bushes. In case of significant precipitation, sprinkle snow on the vineyard - this will improve plant protection.
Regularly check the condition of the seedlings: if there is excess moisture, ventilate the roots, if there is a lack, moisturize. In winter, it is recommended to check the condition of the trellises and garden tools. Buy everything you need in advance.
In February it is time to stock up on fertilizers for spring planting. In an apartment, you can start germinating cuttings to obtain seedlings. If possible, visit your summer cottage in February to prune uncovered grape varieties.
Continue to monitor the seedlings. During this period, it is worth stocking up on the necessary medications for the entire season:
- Stroby and Flint (from powdery mildew, anthracnose);
- Neoron and Thiovit (against ticks);
- Fastak (from thrips);
- Nitrafen and Dnok (universal).
Depends on a number of conditions - in particular, on the weather and grape variety. There are grapes of three ripening periods (varieties - for example):
- Pinot Noir, Gamay - early period.
- Merlot, Sauvignon - middle period.
- Grenache, Isabella - late period.
There is no ideal time to harvest grapes, but as a rule, the harvesting of the bunches begins in September, when the berries have reached maturity (depending on the variety, the ripening phase can last from 15-20 to 60 days) and contain the most sugar. Late-ripening grapes (for example, the Isabella variety) begin to be harvested in mid-to-late October.
How can you tell if the grapes are ripe? By softening the fruit pulp and acquiring the color characteristic of the variety. For example, white grape varieties turn from green to more yellow and transparent. And also according to accompanying signs: for example, when the stalk of a bunch becomes woody at the junction with the vine, and
Experienced winemakers constantly check ripening berries for sugar and acidity levels using a special device and carry out the harvest in several stages, based on these parameters. But if you just want to enjoy the excellent taste of berries, then you don’t have to pay attention to such nuances.
It is best to pick grapes on a clear sunny day, and grapes picked before lunch are more fragrant. Also pay attention to the sanitary condition of the vine: if you suddenly notice that gray rot has begun to affect the berries, then harvesting should be accelerated, otherwise it may die.
How to pick grapes
The grapes are cut with pruning shears and placed in a small flat container (no buckets!), the capacity of which is more than 10 liters. The stalks should be at the top. The bunches should be taken exactly by them, so as not to remove the waxy coating on the surface of the berries - the shelf life of the grapes and the possibility of their fermentation largely depend on its presence.
By the way, it is for this reason that grapes cannot be harvested after rain and in the morning until the dew has left them - water washes away the plaque.
Before placing in containers, spoiled and dried berries should be removed from the bunches. The inside of the container must be lined with grape leaves or paper.
How to properly store grapes
Late and mid-ripening varieties are usually stored for storage - they have thicker skin. The optimal conditions for storing grapes are considered to be a temperature of about 0 o C and an air humidity of at least 90%.
Long-term storage of grapes is best done in a place away from direct sunlight, and short-term storage in a regular refrigerator.
Methods for storing grapes
- Grape bunches are stored in shallow boxes laid in one layer. It is better to use new boxes, or disinfect old ones with a 0.2% solution of potassium permanganate (option - 2% solution of copper sulfate). Be sure to line it with soft paper.
- Tie the grape bunches by the stem or part of the shoot and hang them on wire or slats.
- Cut the grape bunches together with two internodes of the shoot so that one is above the brush, the second below it. Remove leaves and shoots. Place the lower part of the shoot in a bottle of water and secure it so that the bunch does not come into contact with the bottle. Place a few pieces of charcoal in the water to prevent the water from rotting.
From time to time it is necessary to inspect the berries and remove spoiled ones. To prevent the appearance of mold in the storage area, pieces of sulfur bombs should be periodically burned.
Remember that the berries should not “sweat” during storage, so you should not keep them in sealed plastic bags or plastic containers.
Isabella grapes have long been cultivated in different countries. But its homeland is America, where for many years it was grown and exported in the form of wine to other countries of the world. The breeder William Prince was involved in improving the crop, thanks to whom our compatriots have the opportunity to grow it in their summer cottages.
Virtues of culture
The berries of the grapes in question are distinguished by their large size, interesting taste and content of many useful substances. Doctors know that fruits are rich in iron and recommend consuming them to increase hemoglobin levels and improve blood composition. This variety also contains antioxidants - substances that help soften tumors in the early stages of development.
The uniqueness of the composition of the fruit lies in the presence of rare components of catechins and polyphenols. The substances remove compounds that clog the body and stabilize the course of metabolic processes. Potassium strengthens the heart muscle and eliminates cramps, carotene and vitamin C improve the functions of the visual system.
Children are allowed to give grapes from the age of 3. Berries improve appetite and restore strength after infectious diseases. Contraindications for use are individual intolerance to fruits, allergies to fruits and digestive problems. It is forbidden to drink the treat with milk and kvass.
Time to harvest
The plant is very thermophilic, but with proper care it can be grown in cold regions. Sheltering the nursery for the winter and protecting it from spring frosts provides the owner with a generous harvest.
When asked when to harvest Isabella grapes, experienced farmers give the following answer: from mid-October to early November, since they are late-ripening varieties. In the southern zone, Isabella grapes can be harvested earlier - at the end of September.
In the middle zone, Isabella finally ripens by mid-October. A little later, Isabella’s harvest can be harvested in the Moscow region - at the end of October. In the cool conditions of the Moscow region, berries ripen in 120 - 130 days. But gardeners are in no hurry to remove Isabella’s grapes for wine. They let them hang a little more for greater saturation with natural sugar, and then the harvested grapes delight with a pleasant sweet taste and enchanting aroma. The dark blue berries on each cluster are large and have a waxy coating. The average weight of a bunch is 140 g.
How to collect and preserve Isabella grapes
The ripening Isabella grape harvest is harvested during the day in dry weather, when there is no dew. The bunches are carefully supported by the ridge and cut with pruning shears, being careful not to touch the fruits. The brushes are reviewed and quality specimens are placed in low boxes lined with paper. First they are placed in a shaded place, then the crop is prepared for storage.
A small amount of Isabella grapes can be placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer. It is better to store a solid harvest in boxes with hardwood sawdust. The first layer is poured 2 cm thick, then laid out in one layer of clusters and a second layer of sawdust is created. It is thicker, about 5 cm. The boxes are lowered into the basement at a temperature of +2°C.
Should I use Isabella berries for winemaking?
Wine from Isabella grapes is usually prepared only in post-Soviet territory, and at home. According to EU legislation, the crop is prohibited for use for industrial winemaking. At the same time, it is allowed to prepare juices and juice-containing products from berries.
Why is Isabella’s raw materials not welcomed by winemakers abroad? This is due to the increased content of pectins. During wort fermentation, substances are converted to methanol, a dangerous compound that can cause cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Also, foreign experts do not like the plant because it produces “tartar” in alcoholic beverages, which is harmful to health.
However, our compatriots do not see anything bad in Isabella berries and are happy to make high-quality homemade wine from them without extraneous additives of dubious origin. Fortunately, the crop produces a considerable harvest every year.
Growing grapes is only half the task of a winegrower. It is very important to harvest the crop in a timely manner so that it is well stored and provides high-quality raw materials for making wine or juice. Let's figure out what period is considered optimal for picking ripe grapes, and also how this should be done.
Harvesting time: what determines the harvest time
It is impossible to determine the exact harvest date - here each gardener must rely on his own experience, weather conditions, variety, and the degree of ripeness of the berries. The optimal temperature for ripening berries is considered to be 21-35°C, and it should be sunny.
High rainfall significantly slows down the accumulation of sugar and juice in the grapes. In the same way, insufficient moisture negatively affects the sweetness and quality of berries, so in hot, dry summers it is necessary to monitor watering.
Important! Phosphorus-potassium and mineral fertilizers will help speed up the ripening of grape bunches.
Grape varieties and hybrids are divided according to ripening periods:
- Very early– the growing season of which is 95-105 days, that is, harvesting occurs at the end of July - beginning of August.
- Very early– ripen in 105-115 days under favorable weather conditions. This means that ripe berries can be picked in the first half of August.
- Early– their growing season is 115-120 days.
- Early-mid-ripening– ready for consumption and processing 120-125 days after bud break.
- Mid-season– reach removable maturity by the end of August - beginning of September, that is, after 125-135 days.
- Late– which will take from 130 to 150 days to ripen. The harvest of such berries is harvested in September-October.
In addition, the timing of harvest ripening is influenced by the condition of the vineyard and how it is cared for. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology helps to accelerate the ripening of berries. 
How to determine the degree of maturity
Since the timing of ripening can depend on numerous factors, the best way to tell how ready the berries are is to examine them inside and out:
- Dark grapes are considered ripe when their berries are dark blue or dark purple; Insufficient ripeness is indicated by brown skin.
- White varieties should acquire an amber or golden hue at the time of ripeness, and if the berries remain greenish, it means they are not yet ripe.
- The stalk of the bunches should become woody.
- The berries should be easily removed from the “leg”.
- They should taste sweet, without pronounced sourness.
- The berries should be covered with a thin, transparent peel.
- The seeds turn light brown and are easily separated from the pulp if it is ripe.
- Grape bunches should exude a pleasant aroma characteristic of a given variety or hybrid.
Video: how to determine the degree of ripeness of grapes
Did you know? In the old days, only those who made a will were allowed to harvest. The fact is that the plants were planted close to the trees, and over time the vine enveloped almost their entire crown - because of this, the lower branches became depleted and dried out. When collected, they could cause significant damage to a person, up to and including death.
Harvesting Rules
Regardless of the purpose for which the grapes will be used, it is recommended to collect them on dry and sunny days. This is due to the fact that precipitation and heavy dew wash away the waxy coating from the berries, which is very necessary, for example, for long-term storage of the crop.
Clusters collected in the afternoon on a fine day have a richer aroma, which is important for both winemaking and table varieties.
Technical varieties
Raw materials for making wine and juices have their own characteristics. First of all, this is the acidity of the berries and their sugar content, which is measured using a special device - a refractometer or hydrometer. The favorable temperature for harvesting raw materials is considered to be 16-20°C. 
To make some wines, grapes that were harvested after frost are used, but only in cases where they have reached technical maturity before the onset of frost. If the green berries are frozen, then the quality of the wine will leave much to be desired, and there is a very high probability that it will not ferment at all.
For technical varieties, continuous harvesting is most often used, that is, absolutely all the bunches are cut off after the sugar content and acidity are at the required level.
But this method of harvesting is used only in cases where there are no signs of disease and pest damage in the vineyard. At the slightest damage to the bushes, it is recommended to remove the grape bunches selectively. The bunches are separated using sharp pruning shears. 
Table varieties
Table varieties are harvested selectively, that is, the clusters are cut off as they ripen. If possible, to determine the exact harvest time, it is advisable to use a hydrometer, which will show the amount of sugar in the berries.
Like technical varieties, table varieties are cut using pruners or a sharp knife. It is necessary to minimize contact with the berries so as not to disturb the wax coating on them. Therefore, the bunches are held by the stalk and carefully cut off.
Then you need to immediately remove dry and damaged berries so as not to waste time sorting after harvesting. You can harvest table varieties even after frost, but you should take into account the nuance that such berries will not be stored and you need to eat them first. 
How to store grape harvest
Not all grapes are suitable for storage, but only mid-season and late varieties. This is due to the fact that the structure of their berries is more dense, and the peel that covers them is more durable. The looseness of the bunches themselves, which these varieties are endowed with, is also of great importance.
In the box
You can store grapes in shallow boxes, which must be lined with paper or grape leaves. Then the bunches are placed in them in an even layer, from which the spoiled berries have previously been removed.
You can also put grapes in boxes in layers and sprinkle each layer with pine sawdust. The boxes are placed in a dark, cool place with a temperature of 0°C to 5°C. 
Important! The shelf life is affected not only by what and where the bunches will be stored. To a greater extent, the period is determined by what agricultural technology was used in the vineyard. To improve these indicators, it is necessary to regularly fertilize and monitor watering during the growing season of the plant.
Suspended
Grapes are often hung on a wire to help them be stored better. The leg or part of the shoot is fixed with wire or twine and hung in a dark, cool room. This method allows you to keep the berries fresh for 3 to 5 months. 
Wine refers to only those drinks that are formed by fermenting the juice of fruits and berries with yeast, as a result of which sugar is converted into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide with the release of heat. Many guides to making wine at home are replete with such complex technological techniques as
water seal, sulfitation, the use of a pure culture of wine yeast, which scare away beginners and are practically inapplicable. The author, as a result of many years of practice, has developed his own technology, which is simplified to the limit, but makes it possible to produce wines in quality that are not inferior to industrial ones, and sometimes even superior to them.
I will present the technology for making sweet dessert grape wine with pulp fermentation. Approximate characteristics of such a wine: alcohol - 15%, sugar 15-20%, acidity 0.8%. I will explain a few special terms that are unclear to novice winemakers. Pulp - crushed berries or fruits. Wort is fermented juice. How does wine ferment at home if we do not have a pure culture of wine yeast? Due to wild yeast, which is always found in abundance on the surface of fruits and berries. Therefore, before crushing the berries, it is strictly forbidden to wash them, so as not to wash off the yeast. For the same reason, you should not pick berries after heavy rains. Don't be confused by the fact that the berries are covered in dust. During the production process, the wine self-clarifies perfectly. So, having collected the ripe clusters, separating them from the ridges, we crush them and place the resulting pulp in an appropriate container with a wide neck. The container should be filled to 2/3 of its volume. This can be a wooden or plastic barrel, a glass container or an enamel pan, but in no case aluminum or copper. The temperature of the room in which fermentation will occur should be 18-23 degrees. S. This is very important. At higher temperatures, the quality of the wine will be lower and acetic acid fermentation may even occur, turning the wine into vinegar. At lower temperatures, fermentation may not begin. That’s why, if the berries were picked at an outside temperature below 15 degrees. C, they cannot be crushed immediately, but need to wait several hours for them to warm up to the optimal temperature. The container with the pulp must be covered with a clean cloth to prevent wine flies from appearing. The next day fermentation should begin. The pulp will rise upward with the release of carbon dioxide, forming a cap over the wort. The raised layer of pulp needs to be stirred several times a day. If this is not done, the pulp may sour. On days 3-5, the pulp is squeezed out through a colander, and the pomace is used for livestock feed or thrown onto a compost heap. During the fermentation of the pulp, the coloring and aromatic substances found in the skins of the berries are extracted, and wine prepared in this way is much more aromatic, more intensely colored and extractive than wine prepared with squeezed juice.
After squeezing out the pulp with the resulting wort, fill the container to 3/4 of the volume and put it on for further fermentation. From this point on, most authors recommend installing a water seal, that is, tightly closing the container with a lid or stopper, and removing the resulting carbon dioxide through a hose lowered into a glass of water. But this is very inconvenient for topping up, adding sugar, etc. A water seal is installed to isolate the fermenting wort from atmospheric oxygen to prevent souring. But is it really necessary? While intense fermentation is underway, carbon dioxide is released abundantly. And if the container is not tightly covered with a lid or stopper; then a layer of carbon dioxide forms between the wort and the lid, which is heavier than air and acts as a kind of plug that protects the wort from contact with air. Those interested can check it out. Remove the lid and quickly bring a lit match to the fermenting wort. The match will go out instantly. So, we will do without a water seal, and the released gas will escape through the leaks between the container and the lid. At this point, you need to ensure that the space between the wort and the lid is minimal. To do this, the container must be constantly topped up (as fermentation subsides) from another, smaller container.
From 1% sugar 0.6% alcohol is formed. But since most grape varieties in the central regions of Ukraine rarely accumulate sugar more than 20%, it is impossible to obtain sweet wine with a strength of more than 10-12%. To do this you need to add sugar. After 2-3 days, the fermenting wort should be tested for sugar. As soon as you feel that the wort has become sour (which means the sugar has already been converted into alcohol), you need to add 50 g of sugar for each liter of it, mixing thoroughly. Repeat this several times until you feel that the sugar content does not decrease. This means that fermentation has basically stopped, and the wort has accumulated about 15% alcohol. The fact is that the bulk of yeast cannot live in an environment with an alcohol content above 15-16%. That is, they destroy themselves and settle to the bottom.
From the beginning to this moment (depending on the temperature), the wort ferments for 2-4 weeks. Suspended particles sink to the bottom, and the wort is partially clarified. You need to remove it from the sediment using a siphon (hose) and add sugar to your taste. Some suggest that after this, place the container under a water seal in the cellar for further clarification and maturation of the wine, which lasts several months. But a water seal is not needed at this stage for wine with a strength of 15%. A wine with such alcohol content will never turn sour. The simple fact is that at this moment very quiet fermentation will take place, and in a hermetically sealed container (say, in a glass bottle) such CO 2 pressure can be created that it will simply burst. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to suppress the vital activity of the remaining particularly strong (pardon the pun) yeast individuals. Yeast bacteria at temperatures above 70 degrees. They die. Therefore, the wine must be pasteurized at a temperature of 75-80 degrees. C for two hours. For those who have a gas water heater, it is very convenient to do this in a bathtub, provided, of course, that the volume of wine is significant. Personally, I immerse about 100 liters of wine in a bath in 3-10-20 liter cylinders. The cylinders should not be filled completely, as intense fermentation will take place for some time with copious amounts of foam released. Naturally, the plugs or lids must not be tightly closed. In the absence of a column, pasteurization is carried out on a gas stove. After finishing the heat treatment, the cylinders are filled to the top and tightly sealed with stoppers. The next day, after cooling, they are taken to the cellar. The heated wine brightens beautifully and, quickly maturing, becomes soft, velvety and harmonious. All you have to do is remove it from the sediment a few times.
No drink can compare in taste to great homemade wine made with your own hands. Be healthy.
Homemade wines obtained without alcoholization are much more
softer and more harmonious than fortified ones, since the alcohol in them is completely assimilated (fused) with the elements of wine.
Dessert wine is a strong drink. Properly prepared, it is not subject to vinegar souring and does not mold at any storage temperature.
To make dessert wines, it is better to pick grapes in an overripe state, as they have more sugar, and the wine turns out with a pleasant raisin tone.
Bottled wine should be stored in a dry, cool (from 8 to 16 degrees C) room, table and champagne wines should always be stored in a lying position.
Each wine has its own optimal lifespan: table white and champagne -
3-5 years; red table - 5-10 years; dessert - 20 years; liqueur and strong wines - 100 years or more.
Vladislav Ivanovich PARAMONOV
Can you harvest grapes for wine after frost?
If there was frost, how would this affect the quality of the wine? Fermenting? Is it worth picking frozen grapes?
I picked grapes after frost. He chokes easier and plays no worse. But be sure to place it in a fairly warm place. If you leave it in the basement, nothing good will come of it. You need room temperature and then everything is done according to technology. I used two grape varieties: “Isabella” and “Lydia”
As the wine from Isabella played out, it already showed its taste qualities. But with Lydia it turns out interesting. The longer it stands, the richer the bouquet. You just need to spare no sugar. Over the years, it will significantly increase in degree, so that the wine will not turn out to be sour.
Of course it's worth it. Moreover, it is believed that such grapes produce a particularly exquisite wine. It is no coincidence that in the Rhineland of Germany, some grapes were traditionally left until the first frost, in order to then make Eiswein - “ice wine” from them.
The “trick” is that with slight freezing (according to German canons, the temperature should not be lower than -7 degrees), when pressed, a more concentrated juice is obtained, but its yield is much lower.
You can. Collect. Use the best bunches for compote and food. And use the frostier ones for making wine. That is, make wine according to all the rules - so that the tube from the lid collects air into a jar of water, that is, the wine is hermetically sealed. But also “breathes” .otherwise you’ll get vinegar. Good luck!
Yes, you can. The spores of those fungi that make wine of high quality, and not sour juice or fermented slop, normally tolerate ordinary frosts, but it is not known about deep freezing. We should try grapes that have been in the freezer for a year.
I haven’t done it myself, but I think it’s possible. Because I was in the village of Golubitskaya in the summer, there is a branded wine store called Fanagoria and they sell special Ice Wine brand wines. This wine is made from frozen grapes.
Yes, you read the answers and everyone blames Europe. You see, they make ice wines there. And on the Internet, “specialists” are prepared only from cleanly washed raw materials - apparently with some kind of ala French dry yeast for baking.
In essence, we can say the following. In Russia, as a rule, grapes are specially left until late autumn (the first frost). Of course, the ripe ones are removed earlier. As a rule, in this way (by leaving it until frost) the acidity in the berry decreases and the sugar content increases. But if we put wines on shelves, then to prepare table (dry) wines, both white and red, you need to pick grapes that are more sour and less sugary than for dessert wine.
www.bolshoyvopros.ru
How can you make wine from black grapes at home?
If you don’t know how to make wine from black grapes at home, but have a desire to make it, then this information is for you. Below we will provide some simple tips and recommendations for making wine. Although this guide primarily concerns the preparation of wine from black varieties, it generally applies to all possible varieties.
Remember that no matter how good the grape variety you grow is, and no matter what ideal conditions it ripens in, it only takes one small mistake at the wine preparation stage for the drink to turn out completely undrinkable. So be careful.
Which variety to choose
The first thing you need to know is that not all varieties can be used to make truly delicious wine. Of course, a simple drink can be made from almost anything, but for real wine, with a pleasant taste and a long aftertaste, you will have to plant some special varieties, and then also take care of them, carefully fertilizing and watering, so that the homemade wine turns out as if from the best vineyards in Europe.
We recommend such famous varieties as Chardonnay, Savignon Blanc, Isabella, Merlot and others. It’s not for nothing that famous wines bear their names: these are centuries-tested varieties that will definitely provide you with a pleasant taste. But remember that some varieties, such as nutmeg, which give a pleasant sweet taste, need a particularly warm southern climate. Make sure the grape variety you choose can be grown in your region. To do this, you can consult with more experienced winegrowers, if you have such acquaintances.
Features of growing grapes for wine
Some novice winegrowers often ask the question of when to pick this berry, whether to focus on color or other indicators. We recommend harvesting most varieties around the end of September. If the weather is sunny, then you can let the berries hang a little more, gain additional strength, but not too much, otherwise they will become overripe and begin to burst. And if it rains for several days in a row, hurry to collect the entire grape harvest, otherwise it will very soon begin to rot. Remember that if there is at least one such rotten berry on a bunch, then all of it is no longer suitable for wine, since similar processes should have already begun in other berries.
Collect the bunches only when they have had time to dry out in the sun after rain: they should not be wet before picking, otherwise they will quickly begin to rot and disappear in a matter of days.
Scheme of transformation of grapes into wine.
The collected grapes will need to be carefully sorted, eliminating those that have become unusable. That is, remove rotten, damaged, burst and others. Even one such berry will certainly ruin the taste of the entire wine, the whole barrel. Grapes that are too black may mean that they are overripe, especially if that color is not typical for the variety. Some winegrowers believe that black berries are sweeter, but this is not always the case: some black varieties have a pronounced sour taste.
Carefully remove all branches. Some people miss them, and as a result, the wine becomes bitter due to a substance that is contained in these very branches - a derivative of tannin. Before the sorting stage, you will have to be patient, and it is better to find yourself several helpers. It takes a lot of time and requires great care. But this is the only way to ensure that your homemade wine tastes great. There will be no benefit in making wine with your own hands if you are too lazy to do everything yourself, without treating any stage as unimportant.
When you sort the grapes, do not wash them under any circumstances. The whitish coating that is present on the berries is natural yeast, thanks to which the process of turning grape juice into wine will begin.
Some experts also recommend specially preparing the containers in which you intend to ferment the grapes. It's best to smoke them with sulfur. Then mold will not appear in them, due to which the wine is often ruined forever.
Sorted grapes should not be left just lying around. It will begin to ferment and disappear before you even have time to turn it into wine.
Further actions
Fermentation progress chart.
Depending on what kind of wine you want to make, the next step will vary. The fact is that there is a natural dye in the grape pulp and its skin. Therefore, if you want to make dark red wine, then the pulp - the remainder of the skins - and the juice are left to ferment together. For pure white wine, the pulp must be separated from the juice. Although the type of wine, of course, is also significantly influenced by the grape variety, this simple rule regarding pulp should not be forgotten.
Place the grapes you crushed in an enamel container, then cover with a cloth and leave to ferment for three days. There is no need to worry that the wort will turn sour, since during fermentation carbon dioxide is constantly released, which, remaining under the tissue, simply does not allow oxygen to interact with the grapes. When the time allotted above has passed, the pulp should float to the surface. You can easily strain the juice.
If you want a more tart flavor, let the wort ferment unstrained for a couple more days.
If you want a sweet wine and your grape variety doesn't contain enough sugar, you can add it during fermentation. We cannot tell you exactly what quantity, it depends on many conditions and your individual preferences. But even if this year you fail to achieve the desired sweetness, then it’s okay: next year you will be able to correct the mistake, taking into account what you did this year. In general, it’s rare that anyone manages to make homemade, truly delicious wine the first time.
Highlights of this process
Water seal diagram for home winemaking.
This matter requires the same skill and skill as everything else. But with the proper patience and skill, you can definitely achieve the desired result. Please note that after fermentation, sugar can no longer be added to the wine: when the process is completed, sugar will no longer become a part of it, but will simply preserve the wine, also spoiling its taste. You can add sugar directly to the wort, or in a slightly different way: drain some of the juice, add sugar to it, stir and pour the resulting solution back into the container with grapes in a state of fermentation.
When the juice is strained, pour it into prepared bottles. The necks must be closed using nylon caps or medical gloves, which must be additionally pierced in several places. Excess carbon dioxide will escape through these small holes, but oxygen will not enter.
Place bottles of wine in a dark place, but not too cold - the temperature should be at least 10 degrees Celsius. The fact is that the colder it is, the longer the fermentation will take. Be sure to strain the drink once a week, otherwise sediment will form, which will ruin the whole taste. After about two months, bubbles will stop appearing. This means it's time to taste homemade wine. Pour the finished wine into bottles in which you intend to store it further, and seal it tightly. It can be consumed any time you want.
Of course, the technology described above is not the only recipe for homemade wine; there are other ways to prepare it. But it is suitable for both black, white and red berries, so it can be considered almost universal.
If you want something more complex, with an unusual taste, then we recommend turning to the traditions of European viticulture, for example from Poland or Hungary, where raisins are added to wine instead of sugar, and in proportions twice as large as sugar required. This creates a slightly different, more natural grape flavor in your homemade wine. Some recipes even require burying barrels of wine in the ground during the fermentation period, where they will be kept in strictly defined conditions: without access to light, in a cool place. Some recipes also include herbal supplements such as elderberry, mint and others. They also add lemon or apples.
But all these recipes are more complex than the technology indicated above, and therefore we do not recommend resorting to them for the first time.
Choosing the time of the grape harvest to make wine
What does an ordinary person do when he decides to make homemade wine for the first time? That's right, he starts looking for a recipe. He calls friends who are at least somewhat familiar with winemaking, intensively searches the Internet, jumping from one site to another, and skims thematic forums. And all in order to find a simple recipe and make do with available materials, without spending money on any purchases. And the idea of making wine often comes precisely when the grapes have already been picked, some of the berries are frozen, some are raisined, some are processed into juice, but the surplus is still quite large, and there is simply nowhere to put it. It was then that the brilliant idea of making his own homemade wine dawned on him. “Well, many people do it - and everything goes great! Why shouldn't I succeed? Why am I worse? - this man thinks. “Nothing,” we answer him. But remember: without at least a general understanding of the processes taking place during the preparation of wine, you are left to chance - and depending on your luck.
Even the ancients said that winemaking is an art. They compared a bottle of good wine with a painting by a brilliant artist. On such a canvas, every stroke of the brush is carefully thought out, every stroke is in its place, and all this is imbued with an intuitive perception of the world. So it is here. It is impossible to make high-quality wine if you do not understand and intuitively feel the very nature of the grapes. That is why there is not a single universal recipe, not a single perfect technology has been developed. For the same reason, there are family secrets of making wine at the oldest wineries, where winemakers “feel” their grapes with their skin, and the cultivated vine is nurtured like a child. And even if you do not claim excellent quality of the product, it is still better to gain basic knowledge regarding the upcoming process.
Meanwhile, even such a seemingly simple step that precedes the main process as harvesting grapes deserves special attention. In particular, the state of wild yeast and the optimal ratio of sugar content and acidity of the berries depend on proper harvesting.
Preserving the yeast
Beginner winemakers, focusing on the maximum simplicity of the recipe, obtain their drink using wild yeast. Colonies of wild yeast are found in abundance on the branches of the bunch and the skins of the grapes. For a proper fermentation process, it is necessary that as many of these “savages” as possible get into the wort. Otherwise, the sugar contained in the berries will not ferment completely, or even worse, the wort will not ferment at all. This is why the berries are not washed before processing.
Firstly: you cannot pick grapes immediately after rain, or within three days after it. It is clear that streams of water simply wash away a huge part of the yeast from the berries, and it takes time for those that survive to multiply. If the summer has been rainy and you can’t find the right time for harvesting, you need to make homemade sourdough in advance, which will support fermentation in difficult times.
Secondly: you cannot pick grapes early in the morning while there is still dew, at night when it has already fallen, and in the fog. In addition to the fact that moisture has a detrimental effect on the condition of the yeast, it also spoils the taste of the future drink, making it watery. In conditions of heat and moisture, putrefactive processes are activated, and if there are berries in the bunch affected by rot, they can infect all their neighbors in a short time.
Thirdly: the bunches intended for making wine should be carefully cut with scissors or pruning shears, and the cut bunch should be held by the stem, so as not to damage the coating on the berries, which is so important for home winemaking, because our helpers, yeast, live there, in this coating.
Fourth: to avoid damage to the berries, grapes after cutting for transportation are placed in flat containers, avoiding buckets and similar containers.
Sweet - sour
Next, you must decide what you want your wine to look like and evaluate the area where your grapes grew to determine the best time to harvest them.
The right time is of great importance for the balanced ratio of sweetness and acidity in the future drink. The berries should ripen as much as possible, but not overripe. Although here, not everything is so simple.
In countries with a warm climate and sweltering heat in the summer, residents prefer light table wines. Let us remember that these are dry wines of low strength. The strength, in turn, directly depends on the sugar content in the grapes - the more sugar there is, the higher the degree of wine will be. The maximum amount of sugar in varieties grown under the southern sun can be too much for light wines. Therefore, they begin to collect it before the moment of “physical” maturity, this is the so-called “technical” maturity. It is characterized not only by a certain level of sugar, but also by a certain degree of acidity. The grapes are picked when both of these indicators have reached the required values.
To prepare dessert, sweet wines, which are very popular in temperate Russian latitudes, on the contrary, grapes are harvested when the berries have collected the maximum amount of sugar. Stronger wines come from such grapes. It is important not to overexpose the bunches on the vines. After physiological ripeness, if it is not quickly removed, the grapes rapidly “age” - they become overripe, losing acid. If there is a lack of intrinsic sugar in the wine material, it is replenished by adding granulated sugar, thus preparing semi-sweet and sweet wines. It is more difficult to replenish lost acid.
Of course, on an industrial scale, special instruments are used to measure sugar and acid levels. At home, we recommend the following. A couple of weeks before the expected harvest, select several berries from clusters hanging at different heights, from different directions of the world and taste them. As soon as the sweetness has stopped growing, and the acid is no longer so caustic and stays at the same level for a couple of days, it’s time to harvest.
The ripeness of grapes can also be determined by their appearance. Red varieties acquire their color, and white berries become transparent, their peel becomes thinner, easily separates from the pulp, and the seeds darken and show through.
About temperature and selective assembly
As you know, the temperature for optimal fermentation fluctuates around 20° C. It is desirable that the grapes intended for making wine be at the same temperature. Therefore, you should not collect it in the midday heat - the best hours for collecting are morning and evening, when the ambient temperature is just around 20° C.
For better results, it is recommended to use freshly picked ripe grapes for processing. And if you crush berries overheated by the sun, the wort will turn out to be very warm and will quickly ferment, leaving unprocessed sugar. Conversely, if the harvest is carried out at low temperatures, the bunches should be allowed to lie indoors and warm up to the optimal temperature. Otherwise, fermentation may take a long time.
Getting only ripe bunches into processing ensures selective harvesting, when only ripe bunches are cut, and not the entire crop. Beverages made by the wine industry using selective cutting are much more expensive than those produced by full harvesting, since sampling involves additional effort and expense. This may not be so convenient on an industrial scale, but for home winemaking it is very suitable when the wine can be served in several stages in your free time.
When to collect Isabella
It is also necessary to take into account that the time for harvesting grapes of the same variety in different climatic zones can vary significantly.
In the temperate latitudes of Russia, which have more or less suitable climatic conditions for growing grapes, the Isabella variety has become widespread. Frost-resistant, undemanding to watering and fertilizers, to chemical protection from diseases and pests, it grows, giving a bountiful harvest. He grows, forgiving even the absolute inattention of his owner. And this, you see, is a very tempting characteristic for someone who chooses an unpretentious variety.
So, Isabella is harvested for making wine in the same year with a spread of up to forty days in different regions of our country. Still, it does not have time to ripen everywhere. Because grapes are now grown even in Siberia! Not Isabella, of course, but still. Twenty years ago this was considered impossible in principle. But that’s not about that now.
Isabella grapes belong to the table-technical variety. It is known to be used both for food and for making wine. In addition to examining the appearance and tasting, to determine the ripeness of Isabella, you must certainly smell the bunch. When fully ripe, the berries emit a characteristic aroma characteristic of this variety.
To prepare this mysterious drink, translated as “ice wine,” none of the above is suitable. The inquisitive mind can guess the harvest time by its name. It comes after frost. The grapes are left on the vine and harvested naturally after freezing the berries. Only under such conditions does the “technical” maturity of the grapes intended for making this wine occur. Winemakers, when planning to make ice wine, often take risks by leaving the harvest on the vine. The fact is that frosts must occur abruptly, with a large difference in temperature. If this does not happen, and there is a long damp off-season, the crop may simply rot.
To summarize, let's say the following. The time at which the harvest is scheduled for a particular wine directly depends on weather conditions, ambient temperature, time of day, climatic zone and degree of ripeness of the grapes. The collection itself must be done carefully and carefully.
Pressing grapes to make homemade wine
Long before the advent of mechanical assistants in the form of various devices and presses, people performed the hard work of processing crops manually. The tradition of crushing grapes with your feet came to us from ancient times along with the technology of winemaking itself.
To do this, after harvesting, the grapes were placed in large wooden vats. The peculiarity of the design of these baths was that they were no more than half a meter deep, and in diameter, or length for oval and rectangular ones, reached 10 meters. And the action began, which was not like hard, exhausting work, but rather like a ritual, accompanied by flute music and peculiar dances in the vats. All the women who were free from other work picked up their skirts, tucking them into their belts, put their hands on each other’s shoulders and began to lead a kind of round dance. Men also pressed grapes in this way, which was considered even better, since their legs were stronger and the pressing process was faster.
Human legs were an ideal press for processing grapes. They easily crushed the berries, releasing the ripe pulp and all the useful substances from the peel, but at the same time they were unable to crush the seeds, the tannins and tannins of which gave the wine a bitter taste. The legs were able to sense individual berries that had escaped and catch them. They discovered cool places in the thickness of the grape porridge. Low temperature has a bad effect on the fermentation process, and these caring feet immediately accelerated the process by giving off their heat.
It must be said that this process had an extremely beneficial effect on the person himself. Unity with nature, dissolution, merging with it - this is what the grape crushers felt as they made rhythmic movements to the beat of leisurely music. Anxieties and worries left their hearts and heads, and through the feet, which received an excellent massage, the body was pacified. It's pretty hard work. After all, the pressers spent up to 10 hours a day in these baths, processing grapes on an industrial scale. But how much romantic primitive naturalness there is in it! This is probably why this ancient ritual of pressing grapes with one’s feet is still reenacted in areas famous for ancient wine-making traditions at all kinds of holidays, fairs and other events.
And in our time, small producers and lovers of wine production at home use this method. But basically it has outlived its usefulness. First of all, of course, for hygienic reasons. One has only to imagine unkempt, foul-smelling feet, and the desire to drink wine disappears completely. Although there is an opinion that the acidity obtained by pressing fresh grapes has a rather aggressive effect on foreign microorganisms, this is still a weak argument against nail fungus.
We crush grapes with our hands
In home winemaking, hands have replaced feet. Industrial volumes were taken over by all kinds of mechanical and then electric presses and crushers. And the small volumes of wine produced at home are handled not without pleasure by the hands that grew their harvest. Doing it right at home is not at all difficult. Several conditions must be met.
Firstly - cleanliness. Basins or other utensils intended for this purpose must be thoroughly washed and dried. Of course, if a few drops of water get into the wort, there is nothing to worry about. Some winemakers specifically add water to reduce the acidity of certain grape varieties. It’s just that if you start crushing grapes in a wet basin, this can only mean one thing - they were washed hastily, right there, just before crushing. And this washing may not be of very high quality, like everything done hastily. The art of winemaking does not tolerate fuss, and the vessels for pressure and subsequent fermentation of the pulp should be prepared at home in advance, before the grapes are harvested.
Hands and nails should also be clean. Only His Majesty's grapes can and should remain unwashed. I would like to draw attention to the fact that pressing grapes at home with bare hands can lead to allergic reactions on the skin of the hands, accompanied by itching and various rashes. It’s better to put sterile medical gloves on your hands for this task - it’s both cleaner and safer.
Secondly - time. The grapes should be pressed into wine immediately after picking, after sorting them first. Sorting involves removing rotten and damaged berries, as well as unripe and moldy grapes.
You should not store grapes for a long time before processing them at home, especially in deep containers or plastic bags. This leads to excessive wateriness of the berries, which negatively affects the fermentation process and the taste characteristics of the future drink. Grapes can lie at home in one layer with good air access for some time solely for one reason, so that the temperature of the bunches rises or falls to the optimal 18–20°C. Whether or not to separate the ridges is entirely your choice.
Thirdly - the quality of crushing. During the processing process, every single grape must be crushed. This must be done quickly, without delay. That's all the wisdom regarding pressing grapes with your hands.
Presses and presses
Widespread mechanization and electrification, having raised industry from its knees, gradually reached private households, also coming to the aid of winemakers preparing their wine at home. Today, there are special presses and crushers that help process the grape harvest at home more than a couple of buckets.
The structure of the press is a bit like the wringer from old semi-automatic washing machines. The same two rollers, rotating towards each other with the help of a handle, there is a gap between them, the size is much smaller than a grape, but larger than a seed. As mentioned above, the seeds cannot be crushed. The rollers are located at the bottom of a large funnel, into which the grapes enter for processing. By rotating the handle of such a crusher, you can easily crush a large amount of grapes at home to obtain pulp. Of course, the device described is the simplest option that almost anyone can make at home. The most advanced types of crushers are powered and in addition can separate ridges.
Processing grapes for white wine
Pressing grapes with feet, hands, or a crusher is suitable exclusively for red wines. With these processing methods, pulp is obtained, that is, a kind of “porridge” from grape juice, particles of peel, seeds and, in some cases, ridges. For the preparation of white wines, fermentation on the pulp is not carried out. For several reasons. The main one is preserving the color of the drink. The main amount of grape coloring matter is in the skin. If the integrity of the shell is damaged, it passes into the must and provides color to red wines. It would seem, so what? After all, white grapes have a white shell, so even if the berry is crushed along with it, the color should not suffer. And yet he suffers. The wine turns out darker due to oxidative processes, not as sparkling. The taste also suffers, since the shell contains tannins. The wine turns out rougher. Although it is white wines that are famous for being the lightest, most delicate, radiant and fresh. Therefore, they are prepared exclusively from grape juice.
For small volumes at home, you can use an ordinary juicer to obtain juice, monitoring the degree of pressure. It would be good if it was a mechanical model like a meat grinder. In such a juicer, you can control the degree of dryness of the resulting pulp; it should be well moistened, with intact seeds.
They crush white grapes at home and by hand, through canvas bags. Grapes are poured into a bag, tied, placed in a basin and pressed from the outside. Moreover, the juice, which itself begins to be released during the pressing process through the pores of the bag, is called gravity flow. It is believed that gravity produced wine is of the highest quality. Very often gravity fermentation is done separately. The remaining mass after gravity flow is squeezed out through a bag and, after settling, sent for fermentation.
To crush significant volumes at home, winemakers come to the aid of special grape presses, which allow them to crush the berries and simultaneously squeeze out the juice. Presses also come in a variety of modifications, modified and improved, mechanical and automatic, screw and operating on the jack principle. But the essence is approximately the same. Grapes are loaded into a barrel-like container and covered with a lid. In the press, along the entire area of the container, except for the lid, there are small holes through which the juice flows out after the lid, which freely passes inside, begins to fall down under the influence of the applied force and crush the berries. As a rule, a container with holes or is already immersed in another, wider container, which, in fact, collects the juice. Or you should immerse the press at home in some kind of barrel. The force that drives the lid, which acts as a bend, depends on the model of the press. But this is not so significant. There are also presses that contain filters that retain the smallest suspended particles in the juice. These are, of course, the most expensive models. And everyone decides for themselves whether it is worth spending so much money. But the simplest version of a press, which can be used to press not only grapes, but also other vegetables and fruits, can be made by any home craftsman using a drum from an old washing machine.
Whether in the garden or in my vegetable garden, everything about landscaping the garden and gardening
How to collect bunches of grapes and store them for the winter
Author: Ksenia | Category: Vineyard | 10-08-2012
Hello my dear readers of my blog “In the garden, in my vegetable garden”!
In today's article I will talk about how to harvest grapes and how to preserve them.
In the middle zone, some early ripening grape varieties are already ripening. For example, Bulgaria variety on
ripened selectively in a sunny place. I’ve been collecting bunches of grapes from it and eating it since the end of July. It reached its ripening thanks to hot weather, above 30 degrees C, which has been standing for a long time.
How to tell if grapes are ripe
The ripening of grape bunches of medium and late varieties continues. Depending on meteorological conditions and biological characteristics of the varieties, the ripening phase lasts from 15-20 to 60 days. Just at this time, a significant amount of sugar accumulates in the berries, and the acidity decreases.
A sign of ripening grapes is the softening of the pulp and the acquisition of color characteristic of this variety. For example, white grape varieties turn from green to more yellow and transparent. The stems of the grape bunches become woody, and the seeds also turn brown. Warm, dry weather promotes the ripening of bunches, while rainy weather, on the contrary, delays harvesting, which leads to rotting of the berries. It would be bad to cut both an unripe bunch of grapes; it will not gain the necessary sugar content and vitamins, as well as an overripe one.
Try to more accurately determine the moment of their edible ripeness. This is not difficult to do if you picked grapes from this bush that year and already know what the taste and color should be. When harvesting bunches of grapes is delayed, there is a danger of the vines freezing in winter.
At this time, the process of shoot ripening occurs in parallel. Unripe shoots remain green; if they are not pruned, they will die in winter. The phase of shoot ripening and leaf fall is the final phase of the growing season, during which the grapes are prepared for winter.
How the grape bush prepares for winter will largely determine whether it will survive winter temperatures. Therefore, when growing grapes, it is necessary to pay special attention to timely pinching, chasing and other techniques that stop the growth and accelerate the ripening of the grapevine.
How to harvest grapes
It is best to harvest table varieties selectively and in dry weather. When picking bunches of grapes from the bush, do not disturb the waxy coating on the berries. The cut bunches are carefully placed in small containers, with the stalks facing up. Before laying, you need to remove rotten and dried berries with scissors. It is better to line the inside of the container with grape leaves or paper. Grapes destined for processing can be harvested without being careful. When bunches of early ripening grapes are kept on the shoots, they quickly begin to deteriorate and rot, and muscat varieties lose their aroma. But many late grape varieties can remain on the bush for a long time and do not spoil. They are filmed in mid-October, depending on the weather, or even later. Late and mid-late ripening varieties are used for storage, as they have thicker skin. Grapes should be cut in dry weather either in the morning or in the evening. After rain, it is better to postpone harvesting for storage for 1-2 days.
Several ways to store grapes
1. Tie bunches of grapes by the stem of the comb or part of the shoot and hang them on slats, wire, or lay them out in one layer on shelves or drawers.
2. Cut bunches of grapes with two shoot internodes, so that one is above the cluster, the other below it. Remove leaves and shoots completely. Place the lower part of the shoot in a bottle of water and secure it so that the bunch does not come into contact with the bottle. Place a few pieces of charcoal in the water to prevent the water from rotting.
Periodically it is necessary to inspect the berries and remove rotten ones. To prevent mold in storage, burn pieces of sulfur from time to time. Take new boxes, but it is better to disinfect used ones either in a 0.2% solution of potassium permanganate or a 2% solution of copper sulfate.
Amateurs in viticulture spray grapes for storage with a 1% solution of potassium iodide so that the grapes grow in quality and do not become moldy. Spraying is carried out three times: in mid-July, at the beginning of grape ripening and when the grapes are fully ripe.
I hope you found useful information for yourself and now preserving bunches of grapes for the winter and for food will not be difficult for you.
See you next time on the pages of my blog!
When to Harvest Isabella Grapes
Isabella grapes have long been cultivated in different countries. But its homeland is America, where for many years it was grown and exported in the form of wine to other countries of the world. The breeder William Prince was involved in improving the crop, thanks to whom our compatriots have the opportunity to grow it in their summer cottages.
Virtues of culture
The berries of the grapes in question are distinguished by their large size, interesting taste and content of many useful substances. Doctors know that fruits are rich in iron and recommend consuming them to increase hemoglobin levels and improve blood composition. This variety also contains antioxidants - substances that help soften tumors in the early stages of development.
The uniqueness of the composition of the fruit lies in the presence of rare components of catechins and polyphenols. The substances remove compounds that clog the body and stabilize the course of metabolic processes. Potassium strengthens the heart muscle and eliminates cramps, carotene and vitamin C improve the functions of the visual system.
Children are allowed to give grapes from the age of 3. Berries improve appetite and restore strength after infectious diseases. Contraindications to the use of Isabella grapes are individual intolerance to the fruit, allergies to fruits and digestive problems. It is forbidden to drink the treat with milk and kvass.
Time to harvest
The plant is very thermophilic, but with proper care it can be grown in cold regions. Sheltering the nursery for the winter and protecting it from spring frosts provides the owner with a generous harvest.
When asked when to harvest Isabella grapes, experienced farmers give the following answer: from mid-October to early November, since they are late-ripening varieties. In the southern zone, Isabella grapes can be harvested earlier - at the end of September.
In the middle zone, Isabella finally ripens by mid-October. A little later, Isabella’s harvest can be harvested in the Moscow region - at the end of October. In the cool conditions of the Moscow region, berries ripen in 120 - 130 days. But gardeners are in no hurry to remove Isabella’s grapes for wine. They let them hang a little more for greater saturation with natural sugar, and then the harvested grapes delight with a pleasant sweet taste and enchanting aroma. The dark blue berries on each cluster are large and have a waxy coating. The average weight of a bunch is 140 g.
How to collect and preserve Isabella grapes
The ripening Isabella grape harvest is harvested during the day in dry weather, when there is no dew. The bunches are carefully supported by the ridge and cut with pruning shears, being careful not to touch the fruits. The brushes are reviewed and quality specimens are placed in low boxes lined with paper. First they are placed in a shaded place, then the crop is prepared for storage.
A small amount of Isabella grapes can be placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer. It is better to store a solid harvest in boxes with hardwood sawdust. The first layer is poured 2 cm thick, then laid out in one layer of clusters and a second layer of sawdust is created. It is thicker, about 5 cm. The boxes are lowered into the basement at a temperature of +2°C.
Should I use Isabella berries for winemaking?
Wine from Isabella grapes is usually prepared only in post-Soviet territory, and at home. According to EU legislation, the crop is prohibited for use for industrial winemaking. At the same time, it is allowed to prepare juices and juice-containing products from berries.
Why is Isabella’s raw materials not welcomed by winemakers abroad? This is due to the increased content of pectins. During wort fermentation, substances are converted to methanol, a dangerous compound that can cause cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Also, foreign experts do not like the plant because it produces “tartar” in alcoholic beverages, which is harmful to health.
However, our compatriots do not see anything bad in Isabella berries and are happy to make high-quality homemade wine from them without extraneous additives of dubious origin. Fortunately, the crop produces a considerable harvest every year.
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