Parrish Team • August 7, 2026
What is veraison? Grape ripening, explained
Walk our rows right now and you'll catch it happening in real time: clusters that were solid green a few weeks ago are starting to blush purple and turn gold. This is veraison, the stage of grape ripening when wine grapes change color, begin to soften, and start building sugar and flavor before harvest. It happens in the weeks leading up to harvest, and it's the clearest sign the season is heading into the home stretch.
It's happening right now at Parrish Family Vineyard in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles wine country, and we wanted to show you what it actually looks like. Watch the video below, and continue reading to learn more about this stage in the growing season.
The growing season, in a nutshell
Getting to veraison takes a few months of work:
- Bud break: the vines wake up from winter and push out their first leaves.
- Flowering: tiny flowers appear and, if all goes well, get pollinated.
- Fruit set: those flowers become small, hard, green grapes.
- Veraison: the grapes change color, soften, and start ripening.
- Harvest: once the fruit hits the right balance of sugar and flavor, we pick.
Bud break
Mar–Apr
A late frost during this stage can wipe out a whole vintage. It's the most fragile moment of the year.
Flowering
May
Each flower has about a two-week window to get pollinated. Weather here can shape the whole year's yield.
Fruit set
May–Jun
Not every flower becomes a grape. Some naturally drop off in a process winemakers call “shatter.”
Veraison
Jul–Sep
Certain varieties like our Sauvignon Blanc usually turn first, with our red varieties following a few weeks behind.
Harvest
Aug–Oct
Every cluster is hand-picked, so anything underripe or of lesser quality stays behind in the vineyard.
Tap or hover a card to see what happens at each stage.
What happens during veraison?
A few things happen at once, over just a couple of weeks:
- Color changes. Red wine grapes shift from green to red or purple. White grapes turn from green to a soft gold.
- Berries soften as they shift from growing bigger to ripening.
- Sugar starts building up, while the grape's natural acidity starts to drop.
This process doesn't happen evenly. Some berries change color before others, even on the same cluster. That's normal, and it's part of why we keep a close eye on the vines through this stretch.
What happens next?
Once color change starts, our focus shifts from growing the fruit to ripening it well:
- We start tasting and testing fruit regularly to track sugar and flavor development.
- We manage the leaves around the clusters so the fruit gets the right amount of sun.
- We watch each block closely, since some varieties like our Sauvignon Blanc tend to ripen first, with our red varieties following a few weeks behind.
- When a block is ready, we pick and sort it by hand, so only the best fruit makes it into the wine.
Want to follow along as harvest gets closer? Follow us on
Instagram or
Facebook, or
visit our Paso Robles tasting room on Adelaida Road to see veraison and the growing season unfold in real time.
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Stay Connected!
Yes, grapes can get sunburned, just like we do. And just like our skin, sunburned grapes don't bounce back once the damage is done. How to protect them?
Visit Parrish Family Vineyard in Paso Robles to taste single-varietal Cabernet Franc, a distinctive and lesser-known Bordeaux variety in California.
Explore Parrish Family Vineyard’s 2020 red wines, recognized by Wine Enthusiast with high ratings during a celebrated vintage in Paso Robles.
Enjoy Summer with one of our events in our beautiful garden! Live music, good food, and wine in Paso Robles Wine Country!
The most popular red wine in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon. Learn more about this variety as well as how to pair Cabernet with food!
Learn how Parrish Family Vineyard restored Adelaida Creek in Paso Robles, preserving the vineyard’s natural ecosystem through habitat restoration.
Looking for a more immersive way to enjoy a wine tasting? Make it a wine tasting tour ! One of our team members will guide you on a tour of the grounds and share the grape to wine story featuring Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon. What You Can Expect The tour is approximately 30-45 minutes in length, and guests will discover more about our soil, vines, the Cabernet Sauvignon variety, as well as our winery facility, all while tasting wines and participating in barrel samples, providing a more in-depth wine experience. This is perfect for anyone wanting to enjoy a more behind-the-scenes look and taste special wines that are not normally available in the Tasting Room. How To Book A Wine Tasting Tour Tours can be booked here in advance for groups of up to 10 people for Thursday-Monday at 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. The tours are $65 per person and $35 per club member. Our food offerings are available at the end of the tour for a separate price. If you are looking for an engaging tasting experience in Paso Robles, our wine tasting tour is exactly what you need. Book Your Wine Tasting Tour Here!
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