Few questions on crushing

[ibglowin]

Great exchange of crushing tips! Lots of ways to do this. Main thing is to learn from others as to what worked and what didn't. I used a paint strainer the first year. What a complete mess it made plus it took 3X as long to crush as it just kept plugging up. I get a few skins, a few seeds my way but they all work themselves out in short order. Seeds and skins float to the top of the carboy where they can be removed easily with a spoon etc.

 

[Rocco]

Thanks guys.

My only thought on the large mesh bag--

I stick it in the basket to line it. I pour the must in and the free run goes right through. When full I press, pull the bag out, empty it and then put it back in.

In my mind this speeds the process for multiple batches as I can remove the grape skins quickly. Also, it prevents skins and seeds from making it into the free run.

Thoughts?

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks! It is indeed our little piece of heaven here in the high desert southwest. Lots of irrigation required but it's worth it. It was the backdrop for our oldest daughters wedding a few years back.

Mike, love the backyard. That brick porch looks like a great place to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

 

[ibglowin]

That was my thoughts exactly when I used it……..

Thanks guys.

My only thought on the large mesh bag--

I stick it in the basket to line it. I pour the must in and the free run goes right through. When full I press, pull the bag out, empty it and then put it back in.

In my mind this speeds the process for multiple batches as I can remove the grape skins quickly. Also, it prevents skins and seeds from making it into the free run.

Thoughts?

 

[ibglowin]

This is what the mesh bag does for you. It plugs up instantly and the moment you apply pressure juice starts looking for a way to get out. Since it can't escape down as usual, it JUST GOES EVERYWHERE……. SWMBO was not happy to be helping me to say the least. We were both covered in juice spray, head to toe…….

 

[ceeaton]

Thanks! It is indeed our little piece of heaven here in the high desert southwest. Lots of irrigation required but it's worth it. It was the backdrop for our oldest daughters wedding a few years back.

Boy, could I rent out your "little piece of heaven" when my two daughters hopefully get married? Looks a little bigger than little to me. That setup for the wedding is perfect, you should be a caterer (maybe you already are).

Makes me want to take the rest of the day off and work on the yard. Opposite problem you have, no irrigation required but lot's of weed wacking and pruning required.

 

[ibglowin]

Worked like a dog that whole Summer on the yard, house. Then SWMBO says I think we need new carpet 2 weeks before the wedding…… It turned out spectacular but not sure we could pull it off again LOL. The grapes were loaded that year and I even took the netting off just for the wedding and then got up early and re-netted the next day before the Robins got the word out. What we do for our kids! We did have it catered thank heavens and I supplied all the wine.

 

[ColemanM]

I used to line the basket with a paint bag but like Mike, I got sprayed. Now I line the press, put about 4 inches of grapes in, then release the bag into the basket so it acts more as a sieve at the bottom than a net to contain.

 

[geek]

Really good tips..!!

 

[geek]

Do not waste any time with a mesh bag. Total waste of time it will just slow you down and plug up immediately. Just dump the must into the press and let it pour right back out into your catch bucket. Keep pouring until your press is full or you run out of must. This is the very first step in the clearing process. Start your press and go slow. Let the press do the work. Ratchet a bit and wait a bit. rinse, repeat.

Mike,

the staves on the press are not close together, there's a gap.....so doesn't the juice start shooting all over through them?
Do you use something in the outer side to keep the juice in the press?

 

[ibglowin]

The juice just runs right out the staves and into the catch pan and then out and into the bucket. Just the way it was designed to do. 99% of the seeds are on the bottom of the primary so if you are pulling out ~1 gallon at a time with a small bucket you won't see any seeds until the very end. By that time most of the juice is gone into your bucket. The more you do this the easier it gets and you realize this is just step one in a series of clearing steps.

 

[geek]

I see.
What do you do in order not to disturb the thick sediment out of the primary?
In the fall, my friend and I did a small to medium press and removing the wine out of primary was a bit messy, we ended up not caring if the sludge came over to the press, the thing is that there were LOTS of skins that were not floating on top but everywhere AND mix at the bottom, so thick sediment made it to the mix in the press.

 

[ibglowin]

Who cares if thick sediment (lees) makes it into the press! This is the FIRST step in the clearing process, not the last step. All that sediment all that stuff is what makes the wine taste better than your best kit wine ever. Let it come over, you will rack it off the next week or so after it all compacts.

 

[sdelli]

We have a destemmer/Crusher that we set a 40 gallon Brute up at the nose of it. This catches all the stems coming out. We then setup a 5 gallon bucket at the exit and all the must fills the buckets. We dump the 5 gallon buckets in 5 gallon square bins and set them on a table. We give it a good look for anything that made it thru the crush we don't want and do a final pick of stems from it. We the dump them into the primary fermenters.

 

[sdelli]

Here are some pictures of last year crush.....

 

[JohnT]

sdelli,

Great pics!

One complaint..

When I see all of those lugs of boxes, my arm aches just thinking about that hand crank!

 

[ibglowin]

I noticed in the next to last pic that a whole lug was being tossed into the hopper but nobody was turning the crank!

 

[sdelli]

Lol... Ya. Should upgrade to a motor! Stepped away from the crank to take the picture....