Degrees or kilos? What interests the farmer?

Hello! This question is one of those that any farmer would pay anything to know: Degrees or Kilos? What interests me more? Is it better to pick the greenest grapes because they weigh more? Or perhaps, should I wait for the grapes to reach optimal alcohol content and lose some weight?

Throughout the article, I am going to give my personal opinion supported by my own experience acquired over years in the field, and from talks held on this topic with people directly linked to this sector.

You have to get a good wine to be able to sell it

What any farmer must be clear about before starting to harvest his grapes is that the wine obtained from it must be of very good quality so that the winery in question can sell it in the best possible way.

There is no point in obtaining a large production of grapes and then obtaining a wine that no one wants to buy from you.

This harms both the farmer and the winemaker, both will see their profits reduced despite having had a large production.

It is true that a lot can be said about this topic, supply and demand are decisive when it comes to selling at a good price, but it must be noted (and this is what I am doing right now), that if you get a quality wine , you will have fewer problems selling it and you will be able to obtain a better price for it.

Degrees or Kilos?

Being clear that we must produce a quality wine to be able to sell it better, I come to the conclusion that the grape with which we are going to make said wine must have an optimal alcohol content that allows us to produce an excellent wine.

It does not make sense to harvest a very high production of kilos of grapes with few grades, which will result in a low quality wine.

The important thing about this topic, and I want to make it as clear as possible, is that depending on the type of wine you want to make, the grapes must have an alcohol content.

The graduation is the most important thing and what must always be taken into account when harvesting, since depending on the variety and the type of wine you want to obtain, the grapes must have a different graduation.

I also want to point out on this topic that once the optimal alcohol content has been reached (which in the case of Pedro Ximénez is 13º to 13.5º Beaumé), it is important to pick the grapes as soon as possible, since the higher the alcohol content, the lower the weight is obtained by the same, and from my own experience I say that, a very high alcohol content is not worth it if you are going to lose a large number of kilos of grapes.

What interests the farmer most?

What interests the farmer most is that the wine obtained from his grapes can be sold at the highest possible price.

The farmer is not interested in having a large production of grapes with few grades, since it will be very difficult for him to sell them.

I also want to point out that on the subject of sales it is said that the way in which the product is presented is almost as important as its quality, but let’s not fool ourselves, if we have a bad product, no matter how well we present it. and let’s decorate it, we won’t be able to sell it at a good price.

In short, and to finish, I think that the farmer must be clear that his grapes must be used to make a good wine, that once his grape has reached the optimal alcohol content necessary to make the wine he wants, he must pick it as soon as possible so that it is Don’t overdo it and lose weight.

This is my humble opinion based on several years of experience, I would be happy to know yours if you think differently, so I encourage you to leave it through the comments field located at the end of this article.

I hope I have been able to help a little to resolve this great mystery that many farmers ask themselves when they ask themselves: Degrees or Kilos? What interests you more? Greetings and see you soon!

By Rafael Espejo.