Millerandage or Chicken and Hen refers to differences in the size of berries in a bunch, with some normal sized berried and others very small. The smaller berries tend to have high levels of acid increasing the acidity of the end wine. Millerandage is more prominent in some varieties and clones than others. It is often caused by poor weather condition, cold and rain, during flower reducing the effectiveness of flower fertilisation. The number of seed in a berry impacts the amount of natural growth hormones that or produced in the individual berries, the fewer the seeds the less growth hormone and the small the berry.
Synonyms:
Hen and Chicken, Chicken and Hen
