Acids in wine ripened grapes. While concentration varies among grape varieties, it is usually found in higher levels with red wine grapes. The acid is created as a byproduct of the metabolization of nitrogen by yeast cells during fermentation. The combination of succinic acid with one molecule of ethanol will create the ester mono-ethyl succinate responsible for a mild, fruit aroma in wines. Acidity is highest in wine grapes just before the start of "veraison", which ushers in the ripening period of the annual cycle of grape vines. As the grapes ripen, their sugar levels increase and their acidity levels decrease. Through the
The Fox and the Grapes in the labyrinth of Versailles. He can therefore afford a thoughtful, moralising tone: But Benserade then adds another quatrain, speculating on the fox's mental processes; finally it admits that the grapes really were ripe but 'what cannot be had, you speak of badly'. One of La Fontaine's early illustrators was the artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry, who was also artistic director at both the Beauvais and the Gobelins tapestry works. In consequence of this a series based on La Fontaine's fables designed by Oudry was produced by them during the 1740s and included "The Fox and the Grapes". These stayed in production