What is the process of separating good grapes from bad called?

• A. Sorting
• B. Brix Level
• C. Auslese
• D. Kabinett

Answer: (A)

Sorting grapes is the deliberate act of separating good berries from bad ones before fermentation. This step ensures only healthy, ripe fruit goes into the winery system, which leads to more predictable fermentation, better flavor balance, and fewer off-flavors caused by rot, disease, or undersized fruit. Modern vineyards do this on the harvest line or in the winery with sorting tables or optical sorters that choose berries by appearance, texture, and density.

Brix level, by contrast, measures sugar content in the grapes and helps predict potential alcohol, but it isn’t a process for removing undesired fruit. Auslese and Kabinett are German wine designations indicating ripeness or sweetness levels at harvest, not the fruit-selection process.