re-using grape in juice bucket

[orto]

After fermenting and pressing grapes, could they be added to a juice bucket to punch it up a little, or are they pretty much spent at that point?

Thanks Dave

 

[Spikedlemon]

Yes they can be reused.

Caution is that they'll carry the yeast & anything else that was in the first batch into the second (incl. anything you may not want).

 

[Johnd]

After fermenting and pressing grapes, could they be added to a juice bucket to punch it up a little, or are they pretty much spent at that point?

Thanks Dave

They can absolutely be reused, and IMHO, make a very noticeable, positive difference. I freeze all of my cakes after pressing and use them in kits and find it to be very productive.

 

[orto]

If I do this, should I avoid the pile of seeds at the bottom of the bucket? Would I add enzymes before starting the fermentation? I guess freezing won't kill the yeast? So I would be stuck with the same strain?

Thanks

 

[Johnd]

If I do this, should I avoid the pile of seeds at the bottom of the bucket? Would I add enzymes before starting the fermentation? I guess freezing won't kill the yeast? So I would be stuck with the same strain?

Thanks

Others may do things differently, but I use the seeds and all. After adding frozen skins, haven't had a fermentation start without adding yeast, but I've never let it sit long enough to find out if it would have, so can't tell you definitively if you're stuck with the initial yeast or not. Someone else can chime in on that if they know the answer......

 

[ceeaton]

Others may do things differently, but I use the seeds and all. After adding frozen skins, haven't had a fermentation start without adding yeast, but I've never let it sit long enough to find out if it would have, so can't tell you definitively if you're stuck with the initial yeast or not. Someone else can chime in on that if they know the answer......

Get a good starter going and add the yeast to your bucket and let it get going before you add the used skins. I have added "fresh" used skins (ie. not yet frozen) and had the batch start up within a few hours, so if you want to use a different yeast, get 'er going first, then add your skins later.

 

[orto]

Will the skins add a lot of their varietal character, or will the bucket juice be the dominant flavor?

 

[Johnd]

Will the skins add a lot of their varietal character, or will the bucket juice be the dominant flavor?

It depends on what you combine. When I do this, I try to match up varietals, or mimic a blend I like. For instance, save some Zinfandel skins and add them to an Old Vine Zinfandel kit (or juice bucket). Save some cab skins and add it to a merlot kit or juice bucket for a blend. The skins will add body, tannins, and flavor to whatever your base wine or kit is.