brush, the flesh remaining attached to the end of the berry stalk, or stem, after a grape is pulled from the bunch, as occurs during mechanical harvesting or destemming, for example. The brush’s size varies between vine varieties, from a barely discernible bit of flesh to a ‘tongue’ up to 5 mm/0.2 in long. The brush is caused by strong adhesion between the berry and stem, causing tearing of the skin, combined with particular characteristics of the zone of the flesh at the top of the berry. The cells of the brush are rich in tannins. The French term is pinceau.
