Ripeness and Overripeness: Peak, Not Increase

The standard

The recognisable ripeness limit marks the point at which additional hang time takes more than it gives: acidity drops, fruit turns jammy, freshness is lost. It is a state of balance, not a later sugar reading.

Criteria

• Sugar rises while acidity and freshness fall
• Fresh fruit gives way to dried, jammy notes
• Alcohol grows beyond the measure of the rest of the structure
• Further hang time no longer improves the balance

Distinction

Ripeness ≠ overripeness: one is a balance, the other its collapse through waiting. Ripeness ≠ age: overripeness arises on the vine before harvest, age in the bottle afterwards. The recognisable ripeness limit separates the peak from its overshooting.