How long will juice buckets keep when refrigerated?

[WI_Wino]

I've got a couple of juice buckets on order and started to look at my calendar and notice a scheduling conflict. I'll be picking up my juice buckets on 4/11 (Friday). Then traveling the next day for overnight stay with family. Back home that Sunday but then leaving Thursday (4/17) after work and coming back home the Sunday (4/20). So if I started my ferment immediately, I would have 5 days for it to ferment where I can watch it. Then I'm gone for 3 nights. That's right in the middle of where I think one would normally press and transfer to carboys. I have a bucket of grape must that I'm going to add to the juice so I need to punch down the cap and press grapes.

So my thought is, I have a chest freezer and temp controller and can easily keep the juice at 33-34 F. Would the juice buckets keep for an extra 10 days before I pitch yeast? I'm assuming yes but looking for affirmation.

 

[Runningwolf]

Yes, at that temperature you'll be ok to put them in the chest freezer.

 

[sdelli]

I've got a couple of juice buckets on order and started to look at my calendar and notice a scheduling conflict. I'll be picking up my juice buckets on 4/11 (Friday). Then traveling the next day for overnight stay with family. Back home that Sunday but then leaving Thursday (4/17) after work and coming back home the Sunday (4/20). So if I started my ferment immediately, I would have 5 days for it to ferment where I can watch it. Then I'm gone for 3 nights. That's right in the middle of where I think one would normally press and transfer to carboys. I have a bucket of grape must that I'm going to add to the juice so I need to punch down the cap and press grapes.

So my thought is, I have a chest freezer and temp controller and can easily keep the juice at 33-34 F. Would the juice buckets keep for an extra 10 days before I pitch yeast? I'm assuming yes but looking for affirmation.

Is this Chilean you are talking about? If so.... How can you be so sure down to the day when you will be getting it?


Sam

 

[Runningwolf]

Sam, I see no problem with knowing the day. I sell them and my customers know the exact day to come and get them.

 

[Julie]

Like Runningwolf says, I know when I am getting mine, which is this Saturday

 

[sdelli]

Ok... I am confused.... The Chilean harvest is not for another month and a half.....


Sam

 

[sdelli]

Sorry... I was not aware the harvest started so soon...


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[sdelli]

Sam, I see no problem with knowing the day. I sell them and my customers know the exact day to come and get them.

Dan,

How are people claiming to get their Chilean juice and grapes so soon? I have called three of my suppliers and they all tell me the same thing.... Late April or early May... One of them is M&M .........

 

[Boatboy24]

Dan,

How are people claiming to get their Chilean juice and grapes so soon? I have called three of my suppliers and they all tell me the same thing.... Late April or early May... One of them is M&M .........

I think it depends on which part of Chile your grapes grown. Harvest times will vary from region to region and the timing could be different for Colchagua vs Curico, etc. I know this was the case in the fall with California grapes from my source. There were two or three different dates of delivery, depending on where your grapes were sourced. Lodi/Central Valley was 2-3 weeks earlier than Amador, for example.

FWIW, my source gets grapes and juice from the Curico valley and they are estimating late april-early may. Last year was the same, though a little later. I picked mine up on 5/17.

 

[sdelli]

Makes sense..... Thanks Jim

 

[DoctorCAD]

Well, I picked mine up last year. It had to sit one day at the store (in their cooler) and had already started to ferment even though the temp was 55 degrees and there ws still a chunk of ice in the middle of the bucket.

Be careful about storing, there may already be yeast added to the bucket during processing.