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nor T h W e S T Costs and benefits of hang Time Winemakers have issues beyond sugar to consider By Peter Mitham M Weight loss Keller explains that each grape variety has a unique profile of volatile compounds, but most grapes rarely exceed a sugar content of 25° Brix without some weight loss attributable to the time spent on the vine. Ripening, therefore, must take into ac- any winemakers and growers talk about hang time in favorable terms; this was especially true last summer, when cool conditions in many parts of the West Coast saw grapes take longer to achieve the quality parameters that made them worth picking. It was a year that exempli- fied the conditions in which more hang time benefits grapes by bringing sugars in balance with acids. But more hang time isn't always helpful, even in the 2010 vintage. Washington State University viticulture professor Dr. Markus Keller explains that, physiologically, grapes are mature at veraison. During the weeks that follow, however, the fruit begins coloring up and undergoing the chemical changes that allow phenolics and other compounds to develop. Growers have to know how to manage that process if the grapes are going to make decent wine, because the berries themselves are just responding to their environment. Last year for example, acids and levels of pyrazines (the compounds that contribute to green characters in wine) tended to be higher than during warmer growing seasons. "This is one instance where hang time does not really help," Keller says. "Malic acid and methoxypyrazines need to be broken down early post-veraison, as the breakdown slows to a trickle later during ripening." Growers who understand how hang time is affecting their grapes will be able to better understand the fruit quality that winemakers are seeking—plus the risks, benefits and financial impact this has on the winemaking process. count the accumulation of the different compounds that charac- terize each variety. Additionally it ought to allow for the devel- opment of these compounds while respecting the potential for a higher concentration of sugars in harvested fruit that's spent longer on the vine. The extra hang time will lead to some loss of weight and a consequent reduction in yield as the flavor compounds develop, concentrating the sugars. Keller jokes, "Dilution is the solution." Since wine is typically buffered to withstand water, it will retain its flavor profile even as the concentration of sugars falls. Sugar concentration is worth addressing from both a practical and economic standpoint. A high Brix reading points to a greater potential for a stuck fermentation as sugars convert into alcohol. While the careful selection of yeasts can help address the com- plexities of a high-alcohol ferment, reducing the concentration of sugars can prevent the problem from arising in the first place. But a high alcohol reading once the fermentation completes is also an issue, according to Michael Moyer of the Center for Enology, Viticulture and Culinary Arts at Walla Walla Commu- nity College, because of the 50 cents-per-gallon higher federal tax highlights • Hang time is helpful for ripening grapes, but for taxation and enological reasons, more isn't necessarily better. • High sugar concentration can complicate fermentation, and a longer hang time often means costlier grapes. • Hang time should work in tandem with fermentation and barrel programs. 50 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 201 1 Physiologically, grapes are mature at veraison, says viticulture professor Dr. Markus Keller. Balancing compounds to eliminate green characters requires hang time, however.