Ripening axes: Dimensions, not an average

The standard

A multi-axis ripeness assessment reads each axis separately, instead of collapsing them into a single figure such as the must weight. Only all axes together show whether a grape is ripe.

Criteria

• Sugar ripeness, phenolic ripeness and aromatic ripeness are each judged on their own
• No axis stands in for the others
• The ripeness state follows from their relation, not from a peak value

Distinction

Ripening axes ≠ sugar ripeness: sugar ripeness is a single axis, the ripening axes their entirety. Ripening axes ≠ asynchrony of ripening: the latter names that the axes do not reach their target at the same time, the ripening axes name the axes themselves. A multi-axis ripeness assessment therefore separates dimension from moment.