Can grapes get sunburned? Yes, and it changes how your wine tastes
Learn how veraison and summer sun protection shape the flavor in your glass.
The weather is starting to heat up at our vineyard in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, and believe it or not, what a winemaker does next can make or break the finished wine. Left unprotected, sunburned grapes can ruin a wine's flavor and balance. Here's how Parrish Family Vineyard protects its fruit from summer heat to keep every bottle fresh, balanced, and true to its variety.
Why Some Wines Taste Jammy, Flat, or "Cooked"
Ever wonder why some wines taste jammy, flat, or a little "cooked" instead of fresh and balanced? A lot of the time, it traces back to something that happens months before harvest: sunburn.
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. When a cluster gets too much direct heat, the berries lose water, sugar spikes, acidity drops, and the resulting wine can turn out heavy, unbalanced, and short on the fresh fruit character that makes a wine actually enjoyable to drink. In bad cases, you end up with dried-fruit, prune-like flavors instead of bright, true-to-variety character.
Watch: Protecting our grapes from summer sun
How we protect our grapes at Parrish
So every summer, as our grapes head into veraison (the point where they start to ripen and change color), we take steps to prevent that from happening. In the video above, you can see our team hanging shade cloths — invented by our own winemaker, David Parrish — on the warmer sides of the vine, where afternoon heat hits hardest. On the cooler side of the same row, we do the opposite: trimming back leaves so those grapes get a little more light.
This process ensures the fruit ripens evenly instead of cooking on one side and underdeveloping on the other. Same vine, two different treatments, working toward the same goal.
What does this mean for the wine in your glass?
It's a small detail, but it's a big part of why our wines come out balanced and complex, rather than jammy and flat. Great wine isn't just made in the cellar. A lot of it comes down to choices like this one, made in the vineyard, weeks before a single grape is picked.
Curious what else goes into a bottle of Parrish wine? Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook, or come taste the difference for yourself at the tasting room.
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