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Last Saturday, we pressed the 2015 wine. Press day is a lot smaller and subdued than crush. This year I took some pictures on the process that we use for pressing and though it would be good to share with you folks.
First, I use a large ss strainer of scoop off the cap into a brute canister. This is then taken and dumped into the press.
The press is left open and the free run juice is allowed to run. Another SS strainer is placed under the spout of the press to catch any seeds of grape skins that might happen to flow out.
The wine from the press is caught in 5 gal buckets, and deposited into the secondary fermenters.
Once the free run is down to a trickle, and the press is full, the press is closed and pressure is applied. Once the wine flow drops back down to a trickle, the press is opened and the grapes are "Forked". This is done using a tool that I hand forged with a handle on one side and two pointed tines on the other. This does a great job in breaking up the hard pack and stirring the grapes. I am amazed at how much more wine I can get out of a batch simply by forking it (insert joke here).
After two forkings, the grapes are then heaped onto the compost heap. The dead skins are really popular with the local deer population.
Meanwhile, back at the primary, I use a column strainer (a 4' length of PVC pipe with a gah-jillion holes drilled into it) and a pump to transfer the free run wine to the primary. A real back saver! Any remaining solids in the primary is then dumped into the press.
First, I use a large ss strainer of scoop off the cap into a brute canister. This is then taken and dumped into the press.
The press is left open and the free run juice is allowed to run. Another SS strainer is placed under the spout of the press to catch any seeds of grape skins that might happen to flow out.
The wine from the press is caught in 5 gal buckets, and deposited into the secondary fermenters.
Once the free run is down to a trickle, and the press is full, the press is closed and pressure is applied. Once the wine flow drops back down to a trickle, the press is opened and the grapes are "Forked". This is done using a tool that I hand forged with a handle on one side and two pointed tines on the other. This does a great job in breaking up the hard pack and stirring the grapes. I am amazed at how much more wine I can get out of a batch simply by forking it (insert joke here).
After two forkings, the grapes are then heaped onto the compost heap. The dead skins are really popular with the local deer population.
Meanwhile, back at the primary, I use a column strainer (a 4' length of PVC pipe with a gah-jillion holes drilled into it) and a pump to transfer the free run wine to the primary. A real back saver! Any remaining solids in the primary is then dumped into the press.