Make-shift press

[Joanie]

Thursday after work I'm going to pick 60 pounds of white Cayugas at a friend's 10 acres of grapes. Can anyone give me a ballpark idea of what 60 pounds looks like? Like how many primary fermenters-full would that be?

The real question is, how can I press them without a press? I'm trying to wait until next year to buy one.

Sangwitch suggested putting them in a freezer bag and using a rolling pin. Thanks, Sang! Any others?

 

[Waldo]

I did 45 lbs of a Campbells grape Joan and I used a large waste basket and a sanitized 2 x 10 board about 5' long. It worked pretty good. I went ahead and fermented in the waste basket too. That was a little bit of a challenge when it came time to rack but overall it worked great.Edited by: Waldo

 

[Joanie]

Hehe I'm confused! (It takes so little!) What did you do with the board?

 

[Waldo]

Before......I soaked the end of it....about 2' of it in sanitizer
Afterwards...Cleaned it off good, sanitized it again and stored it away for later use.
Oh, It was a kiln dried white pine board too...Would not use yellow pine at all

 

[Joanie]

LOL Yeah, but what part of the pressing did the board play?? Did you use the end to squish the grapes in the wastebasket?

 

[grapeman]

Joan,
A bushel of grapes weighs 48 pounds, so you have about a bushel and a peck coming. Once they are destemmed, it will be a smaller volume. If you are in a pinch for pressing, get a plastic (food grade) pail or primary, fill it about hald full. Put it in the bathtub, get in the tub, wash your feet thoroughly, stick one foot in and mash away. You will have about 2 buckets full. Pour it in a straining bag over another primary or big pot/pan/bowl and catch the juice. Since it is a white juice grape, you won't keep it in with the skins. It sounds gross, but is the way it has been done for centuries. It really isn't that messy and is gentle on the seeds so you don't get too much tannin. I resorted to this two times lately and it worked great. I had better results than I get from my apple press- it mashes the grapes better than the apple pulper and is more genle. This way too, you can really get into making your wine.

Whatever way you go- you are lucky to get the Cayuga grapes.

 

[Joanie]

People are always asking me if I stomp grapes like Lucy and Ethel! This way I could say I actually did! =)

How much do you squeeze the straining bags?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Be cafeful using garbage bags and garbage cans...have read that some of the plastics have insecticide in them...can't say for sure...be recall reading that someplace.

Joan, I think you should stomp them with your feet...I think that Appleman did...be sure to take some photos too....

 

[grapeman]

Don't put too much in at a time when you squeeze so you can get as much pressure as you can on them. By the time you are done squishing them, you will have broken almost all of the grapes and mashed them pretty good. The juice should come out pretty freely. When you are done and have the juice in the bucket, don't forget the K-Meta or Campden tabs. That'll kill off the wild yeasts and bacteria and prepare it for fermenting.


Take some pictures- I didn't. Actually when I took them into the tub and removed my socks, my wife said" You aren't actually going to use your feet on them are you?" Oh No I said......

It did give my foot a nice purple color though- but it washed right off!

 

[pkcook]

Joan,


Purchase a large plastic waste can. If you can find one without ribbed sides you will be better off. I wouldn't use a garbage bag, I'd wash the can well with a mild soap andtriple rinse, then make up a gallon of kmeta and make sure you get all the inside of the can sanitized.Fill can about 1/4 full of grapes and stomp them good with sanitized feet and repeat.My brother-in-law had made cayuga white this way twice from his vineyard (about 15 gallons each time). You can use a collander and a sanitized bucket to press the skins and catch the juice. You can even use the original can to ferment in or use multiple smaller buckets.


I'm going to my brother-in-law's place in KY this weekend to help him pick his Cabernet Franc; they are at 21 brix right now and may get to 22 by Sat if the sun shines. He just purchased two 168 gallon steel fermenters from awinery in Canada,and we expect to fill at least one with this harvest. Unfortunately, I've got to leave from there Sunday evening for a trip to Nashville for two weeks, so I won't get to bring 6 gallons back for myself

. He still has Cynthiana (Norton) yet to be picked. They are at 19 brix right now. The rainy, cool weather has slowed the sugar production down quite a bit.


Take some photos of the grapes and how you process them. That would be an interesting series of photos!Edited by: pkcook

 

[scotty]

People are always asking me if I stomp grapes like Lucy and Ethel! This way I could say I actually did! =)

How much do you squeeze the straining bags?

Ill fly up and sing Italian grape stomping music while taking a video

You could also change your user name to blue foot

Edited by: scotty

 

[Joanie]

LOL Thanks for the offer, Scotty! As for the new name...the grapes are white! Sorry!

 

[NorthernWinos]

How about 'sticky toes'....Got to see this go down.....be sure to take photos...

 

[scotty]

How about 'sticky toes'....Got to see this go down.....be sure to take photos...

Ive got the caruso records packed and the cessna is all gassed up. We are about to make wine video history.

 

[Joanie]

Me thinks I'm being had!

 

[grapeman]

No Joan. You are not being had about the grape stomping. It is time tested and a reliable way to gentle squeeze the grapes without damaging the seeds and releasing excessive tannins. I had fun doing it, but then again I'm easily entertained.

Not so sure about the Italian singing though

Edited by: appleman

 

[NorthernWinos]

Have had plenty of time to do some reading...finally got to the book 'From Vines to Wines' by Jeff Cox.....good reading.

Quote.....On Stomping Grapes.....

They can be mashed to a pulp with feet, hands, or a pestle of some nonporous material like stainless steel, porcelin or plastic. Wood can be used if it is coated with paraffin to fill the pores. With any such pestle cleanliness is important.

Personally, I think feet do the best job. My wife, Marilyn, scrubs her legs and feet untill they are squeeky clean. Then from the shower, making sure all soapy water is rinsed off her feet, into clean socks. These she strips off one by one as she steps into the vat of grapes. Given the size of our vats, the juice and pulp reach above her knees, and she treads in place until the grapes have been crushed and all are off the stems. The sight of her thighs drippiing with grape juice never fails to quicken my pulse. This is not a bad time to put on your Bo Diddley records, and pass around some wine that's good for gulping.
Treading about 150 pounds of grapes in a 30 gallon vat of some kiind shouldn't take more than 10 minutes....Make the most of them.End quote...

So....I guess if she hasn't done so yet....Joan better stomp those grapes...you go girl!!!!
Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Joanie]

Sorry NW, I didn't stomp! =) I finished destemming at 9:30 PM and did not have the strength to do anything with them after all the cleanup. I took out a shelf in my fridge and stored the bucket full of grapes there until after work the next day. The thought of putting one or both feet in 40 degree grapes did nothing for me so I put them in straining bags and "stomped" with my potato masher. It worked quite nicely. I now have 2+ gallons of some already clearing Cayuga! It tastes great and doesn't have that dirty sock smell!

 

[bmorosco]

So they actually used there feet?????????hahaha Just kidding ......Wow that is really taking making wine back to its roots..