Carmenere

RedVinifera red

Chile, having left Bordeaux

Blackberry, soy and a distinct green-peppercorn note that is a feature at low intensity and a fault above it.

At harvest

Each bar drawn against the full range of all 54 varieties

Sugar

23-26 Brix

23 - 26

Titratable acidity

5-6.5 g/L

5 - 6.5

3.4-3.7

3.4 - 3.7

Juice yield

0.65 L/kg

free run plus a gentle press

Sugar per kilogram

176 g

at 24.5 Brix, the midpoint

Fruit for 23 litres

35 kg

before racking losses

Potential alcohol

13.5-14.7%

from 1.103 fermented dry. A range, because conversion varies by strain

What it punishes

Picking early. Carmenere ripens very late and its pyrazines only fall away at the end, so an early pick tastes vegetal.

Made into

Dry red
Bordeaux blend

Sulphite at this pH

At pH 3.55, protecting a red wine to 0.5 mg/L molecular SO2 takes 28 mg/L of free SO2. Work it out for your own reading.

More vinifera red

23-26 Brix

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bordeaux, and now everywhere warm enough

23-25 Brix

Merlot

Right Bank Bordeaux

22-25 Brix

Cabernet Franc

Loire and Bordeaux

22-25 Brix

Pinot Noir

Burgundy

23-26 Brix

Syrah

Northern Rhone

24-27 Brix

Grenache

Southern Rhone and Spain

24-26 Brix

Mourvedre

Bandol and Spain

24-28 Brix

Zinfandel

California, and Croatia before that