Véraison

What happens at véraison

Véraison is a sudden and visible change. Over the course of a few days, the hard, green berries soften, swell and change colour. The acid levels start to drop, the sugar levels start to rise, and the aromatic precursors begin to accumulate. The vine's energy, which had been focused on shoot and leaf growth, shifts to fruit ripening.

The exact timing depends on the variety, the site and the season. In the UK, véraison usually happens in late July or early August for the earliest varieties, and in mid to late August for the later ones. The first sign of colour change is watched closely by growers, because the harvest date can be roughly estimated from then on.

Indicators of ripeness

Once véraison is complete, the winemaker tracks a number of indicators to plan the harvest. The most important are sugar, measured as Brix or potential alcohol, and acidity, measured as total acidity and pH. Sugar rises steadily after véraison, while acidity falls. Flavour develops in parallel, and the winemaker tastes the grapes regularly to track phenolic ripeness, the moment when the tannins, colour and flavour are in balance.

Véraison in UK vineyard work

The weeks around véraison are a busy time. Leaf removal in the fruiting zone is often finished by véraison, to give the berries maximum sun exposure. Canopy management, including trimming and lateral shoot removal, continues. Verasion is also the time for crop estimation, with the winemaker walking the rows and counting bunches to project the yield.

Some growers do a green harvest in the weeks after véraison, removing the less ripe bunches so that the vine's energy goes to the remaining fruit. This is more common on premium sites, where the focus is on quality over volume.

Uneven véraison

Uneven véraison, where some berries change colour and others do not, is a common challenge in the UK. It can be caused by poor fruit set, by variable sunlight, or by uneven ripening within the canopy. The result is a heterogeneous crop that ripens over a longer period, making the harvest decision harder.

The winemaker's response is to wait for the late-ripening berries to catch up, or to do a selective harvest, picking the ripe bunches first and the unripe ones later. Both options have a cost, in time, in labour and in the eventual wine quality.

From véraison to harvest

In a warm year, the time from véraison to harvest is around 6 to 8 weeks for sparkling base wines, which are picked earlier, and 8 to 12 weeks for still wines, which are picked later. The 2022 and 2025 vintages had compressed ripening periods, with many vineyards harvesting 1 to 2 weeks earlier than usual. Cooler vintages like 2011 and 2021 had extended ripening, with harvest sometimes running into late October or early November.