Harvest time for white ugni blanc grapes intended for cognac production has begun.
The cognac producers harvest the fruit of the year’s work. This vine, the main one used for distillation, covers 79,000 hectares of the Charentes harvests. Last Friday the grape harvest began in both Grand Champagnes and Petit Champagnes.
According to the Bureau Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) the precise moment is now to harvest the grapes. The bunches weigh 355 g. The potential alcoholic strength by volume (PAL) is 10.1%. It rises rapidly, 1.5 degrees in a week, due to the high temperature.
It is therefore advisable to harvest without waiting too long. Other statistics reveal that “the acidity is low, the pH increases and exceeds the average value of last year”.
In front of the heat, the rain on its part of 10 mm has benefited the harvests keeping them in good state as a whole. Despite the drought, the bunches evolved positively.
The quality of the brandy, on the other hand, is not yet very predictable. However, after the hail and the cold of spring and the drought of summer a little yield is estimated. Between 90 and 100 hectolitres of distilled wine per hectare are estimated.
Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.