More about Viticulture and Winemaking

On this page you'll finds terms and phrases and their meanings that will help you understand better the process involved in what we do here at LaVelle Vineyards.

Brix

BRIX is a measure of the percent solids (TSS) in a given weight of plant juice. In Winemaking BRIX is often expressed another way: BRIX equals the pounds of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and other solids in one hundred pounds of a particular plant juice.

BRIX varies directly with plant QUALITY. For instance, a poor, sour tasting grape from worn out land can test 8 or less BRIX. A full flavored, delicious grape, grown on rich, fertile soil can test 24 or better BRIX. Similarly, the tasteless, almost bitter cantaloupe from the salad bar cannot be compared to the 18 Brix delight coming from the well-tended garden. All fruits & vegetables are subject to the same laws.

Soil pH

Soil pH or soil reaction is an indication of the acidity or alkalinity of soil and is measured in pH units. Soil pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 with pH 7 as the neutral point. As the amount of hydrogen ions in the soil increases the soil pH decreases thus becoming more acidic. From pH 7 to 0 the soil is increasingly more acidic and from pH 7 to 14 the soil is increasingly more alkaline or basic.