Journal | May 16, 2023

Numbers and Wine

Numbers help us make wine. In the vineyard we talk about numbers of shoots to retain per vine, or clusters per vine, or tons per acre. In the cellar, lab numbers of brix (sugar %), acid levels, and pH can guide winemaking decisions.

If a winemaker depends solely on numbers the resulting wine will most likely be clean and correct, but boring. The British use the term serviceable. The wine could be balanced, but without a soul.

Numbers should only serve as supplemental data if the goal is to make a potentially great wine. Experience, intuition, and palates guide the decision making. Each vine is an individual and is treated as such. Harvest decisions are based on flavors. As is winemaking. A wine’s texture, concentration, complexity, harmony, or length cannot be measured by a device.

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Hardscrabble JournalJim Law2023