The vine cycle is full of nature’s own magic.

A cycle that begins at budbreak, with the first signs of spring, new shoots appear in the vineyard. After these first shoots, with the advance of the months and the heat, the first leaves of the vine begin to form in the moment we know as “foliation”, this process is in which the leaves so necessary for the plant will begin to form. Then comes flowering, perhaps another of the most magical moments together with veraison. The first flowers are formed in the vineyard of what in the future will be the bunches of grapes. This is a key moment because it will also allow us to predict approximately when the harvest will take place.

And after another couple of months and after the fertilization of the plants, we see how these small flowers are gradually transformed into clusters, tiny and green at the beginning due to the effect of chlorophyll, and finally, when the heat begins and we welcome the summer, the veraison.

Veraison, to understand quickly, is the moment when the grapes change their green color to purple or red for red varieties, and yellow or straw-colored for white varieties.

In the first months after flowering and the appearance of the small grape berries, we see how they appear green in color, the clarity of which depends on the variety and the season. 

This is due to the coloration provided by chlorophyll, due to the work of “chloroplasts”, cellular organs responsible for photosynthesis of the plant from the energy captured from sunlight.

As the berries fatten, water and sugar levels rise, acidity is reduced and the skin of the berries changes from being hard to becoming thinner and changing color. The grapes lose their green coloration and acquire reddish or purplish tones in the case of the red varieties, and yellow or golden for the white varieties.

It is a process subsequent to the photosynthesis of the plant, where the growth of the berries stops and loses those chloroplasts we were talking about to begin to see an accumulation of the polyphenols characteristic of ripe grapes, which are the true responsible for the change in color of the berries.

This is a fundamental moment in the biological development of the fruit of the vine. A moment that tells us that we have to be ready for the grape harvest, which can come after 30 to 45 days after detecting the changes in the color of the berries. It is also the best time to walk among the vineyards, which will be changing their color and adding to their skin the essential “pruina”, which we will talk about in another article if you like this one, until the time of harvest.