In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced and what the winemaker and viticulturist personally believe constitutes ripeness. Once the grapes are harvested, the physical and chemical components of the grape which will influence a wine's quality are essentially set so determining the optimal moment of ripeness for harvest may be considered the most crucial decision in winemaking.
Grapes ripening on the vine.
Pinot noir grapes in the early stages of veraison. As the grapes ripen, the concentration of phenolic compounds like anthocyanins replaces the green color of chlorophyll in the grape berries which makes them black instead.
Pinot noir grapes that are destined for sparkling wine will be considered ripe much earlier than Pinot noir destined for still red wine.
Vineyard management techniques such as canopy management can influence the ripening process of grapes by balancing the amount of foliage needed for photosynthesis versus excessive foliage that shades the grapes and competes for the grapevine's resources.
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne region of France. Sparkling wine is usually either white or rosé, but there are examples of red sparkling wines such as the Italian Brachetto, Bonarda and Lambrusco, and the Australian sparkling Shiraz. The sweetness of sparkling wine can range from very dry brut styles to sweeter doux varieties.
A glass of champagne
A glass of Lambrusco from Italy
While harvesting grapes destined for sparkling wine, premium producers will take extra care to handle the grapes as gently as possible in order to minimize the extraction of harsh phenolic compounds from the skin.
The transfer method is used to make small and large format bottles of sparkling wine, such as this split (quarter bottle) of champagne.