It's Time To Buy a Crusher/Destemmer - Suggestions?

[MSLISAJ]

I have been making wine now for 15 years and over that time I have purchased all the necessary equipment one piece at a time. I used to buy my grapes from a vineyard and they would crush the grapes I picked when I was leaving. But now I have 10 of my own vines and am now producing more grapes and the last piece of equipment I need is a "crusher/destemmer" as I really can't bother my local winery anymore to do the job for me; they have been very kind.
My yearly grape production will average between 80 and 200 pounds of grapes. I am looking at a hand powered machine that will cost about $500. This will be the single biggest investment I have made in this hobby. So I am asking for suggestions or recommendations of a good machine and where to get it. I have found a supply story about 100 miles from me that has what I am looking for but there really isn't any choice. So before I make the investment I wanted to ask others for opinions on what to get and what NOT to get.

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts on my question.

Lisa
Klamath Falls, Oregon

 

[ibglowin]

Start looking around on Craigslist for a used one. Check your LHBS for used ones, if you can put up a wanted add their do it now. You can pick up a brand spanking new manual one for ~$350 plus shipping. Since your on the west coast the closest big wine supplier is probably More Wine

 

[grapeman]

Most of the smaller models like you looked at are all about the same and come from Italy. I assume you are looking at painted models. Stainless cost a lot more. Buying local is a good idea as you can get a look at it before buying and there is no shipping expense which can get costly.

 

[MSLISAJ]

I've been watching Craig's list but I find nothing local. And yes, the one I am looking at is an "Italy" model and painted not stainless. The interesting thing is the commercial winery that has crushed my grapes in the past have this same unit that they put a motor on so I know what kind of job it will do. So I gather there aren't a lot of choices out there; now real different recommendations. Just have to bite the bullet and buy it. But it's so much fun to serve my own wine at a dinner party.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Lisa

 

[salcoco]

I am not sure how old you are, but as time passes you will wish for a motorized version. I would buy a motorized version now.

 

[JohnT]

+1 on that! Get a motorized one! You are making 200 pounds now, but you may end up making much more later.

I would also recommend getting a stainless steel unit. Grapes are rather high in acid and will corrode painted steel over time.

I know that this may be rather expensive, but think of it this way.. It will be a 1 time investment that (with a little maintenance) your grandchildren will appreciate!

 

[MSLISAJ]

Well gentlemen, thank you both for your thoughts on this and I have to say you both make good points. I am 61 now so there is my timeline. This year I had a banner crop for the very first time and I have hit my limit there for my fermenter and storage capacity and that was almost 200 pounds of fruit. When I drive over to Medford to the supply story I'll look at all the models with motors and stainless. But those two options also double the price. As I mentioned the winery that crushed and destemmed my grapes have the painted model and put a motor on it but again they are doing a few tons of grapes a year. I'm going to say that on an average I'll do between 100 and a max of 200 pounds and it took more time to clean the machine then it did to actually crush the fruit. I think once I am standing next to one and try turning the handle I'll get a real idea of what you men are talking about.

Again, thanks for the advice and I will consider your thoughts when the time comes.

Lisa

 

[cmason1957]

I am going to throw in a contrary opinion. If you believe you will only be doing between 100 and 200 lbs of grapes per year, I wouldn't buy anything. It took my wife and I about 2 perhaps 3 hours to destem and crush 300 lbs of grapes two years ago. I would go that way again in a heart beat.

 

[MSLISAJ]

Well I have a little story about hand processing the grapes. The first time I went to a vineyard with my father to buy grapes we were given as many bins as we thought we needed; I took five bins and we headed out to the field. I carefully selected and cut ever bunch and filled my bins. Then we went back and they were weighed and they slid the bins down a roller conveyor to the cusher/destemmer. I stopped them in shock as I wanted to do this process myself. The owner/operators of this vineyard had a kind of puzzled/amused look in their eyes and were more then happy to dump my grape clusters in the boxes I brought to take them home in. Mind you I had only 80 pounds but my father and I sat around the boxes and buckets for three hours carefully pulling each grape off the stems and putting them into the 7 gallon fermentor. Then in my nieve wisdom I thought I would just use a potato smasher to "crush" the grapes in this bucket. Well to those smiling and nodding their heads at this point I quickly found out that as soon as I had enough liquid in the fermentor the grapes would easily move away from my potato smasher and all my effort was for nought. Well I had to move to smaller batches to get these crushed and it was an exhausting afternoon. The following year I went back to the same vineyard to purchase grapes but this time I brought my fermentor and let them run the grapes through their machine and it was over in five minutes. They remembered me and we had a little laugh about that first experience.

Fast forward to today, I live in the north west with a short growing season and young vines. Also my father has passed away at a nice old age and i have to do this all alone now. At first my vines only produced forty to sixty pounds and I could process them by hand in a couple of hours. But now I am getting well over 100 pounds and this last year I got 180 pounds when I stopped picking. I knew I had way more then I "wanted" to deal with by hand and I have a local winery that was gracious enough to crush and destem the grapes for me with their machine. But I see the writing on the wall and it's truly not practical for me to ask and pay them every year to do my "small" batch of grapes. So I need the machine for myself and it will be the last big piece of equipment to complete my wine making system. I have everything else to do this job and being I am doing it all alone this machine will make the process easier.

I would love to find a used one like I found my press which I refurbished like new. But I am also okay with $500 to get a new hand powered one. Add a motor and it's about $300 more and make it stainless and that is another $200 or so. That for me kind of prices it out of what I really want to pay. But as mentioned I will consider the upgrades for the ease and longevity of the machine. But I have been doing it by hand for a few years now and I am getting older, maybe more lazy and at this point in my life I am trying to streamline this process.

So cmason, I am not discounting your idea but I have kind of been there done that for a few years now and it's time to move up to something to make life a little easier.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Lisa

 

[ibglowin]

I bought a brand new hand crank crusher/destemmer probably 5 seasons ago. Have done up to 800lbs by hand with no problems or difficulty. It is a two person job though. A close friend of mine who is retired and mechanically inclined offered to "automate" my C/D. He did it in short order with a treadmill motor he found at the county landfill. It now works perfectly and can operate as a one person job with ease.

Good luck with your search. BTW which varietals are you growing?

 

[MSLISAJ]

The winery that C/D'd my grapes this year did the same thing. Started with a hand machine and then put a motor on it. Not that hard really and I have those skills too.
I shouldn't make the story sound "whoa is me" as I can get help as every one works for wine. But as the winery said "they can't keep putting the cranking work on friends" thus the motor. Also the machine is to heavy and awkward to handle alone. I understand that too.

Thanks for the comments and help.

Lisa