# Finally took the plunge



## BlueStimulator (Mar 27, 2017)

Before Christmas everybody asked me what I wanted for Christmas and my December Birthday. I said this isn't fun for you but what I really want is take what you would normally spend cut it in half and give me that in cash. What do you need they asked? Wine making equipment most agreed to the deal and I have been looking at hand powered destemmer/crushers. I couldn't find any used ones and shipping on new ones is $$$$$. So walking by the equipment at our local shop I saw a hand powered one ready to go. I dickered with him a little and low and behold here is what I bought, plus a floor corker.

So after my third leafing last year I had about 250lbs of grapes plus I planted some more vines and expect my yields to improve next year no more long hours bending over separating berries from stems


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## BlueStimulator (Mar 27, 2017)

I also justified it because I have been saving my three fav bottles types for over two years and have 17 or so cases that only cost me only the wine I like to drink and I only buy on sale. My extended family has also been saving bottles here and there for me.

They have all been soaked and the labels peeled of by yours truly and are now waiting for my first vintage of Cutthroat Cabernet and Stone Fly Viognier. Not a fun job but at a savings of one to two dollars a bottle so worth it. We can't recycle glass here and they would have been tossed into a land fill anyway. So yeah that is how I justify spending money on other things. I am such a cheapskate!!!!


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## Boyd (Mar 27, 2017)

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Have never separated the berries from the stems. Crush them, sanitize and add enzyme, let set for 2 days, ferment for three or four days. Press, add water to the leftover, stir and press again. High acid grapes and lots of flavor left after pressing..

I give my wines away cause I seldom drink anything. People tell me it is really good.

Be nice if more people would return the bottles. Scraping labels is a pain in the butt.


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## Johny99 (Mar 27, 2017)

Congratulations on you "gift". You will love it. 250 at the third leaf, you'll be over 500 in no time


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## BlueStimulator (Mar 28, 2017)

I hope so, plus an old neighbor has a quarter acre in red grapes we may trade some grapes instead of a rental fee on the crusher. Sometime when I am up your way would love to see your set up.


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## Johny99 (Mar 29, 2017)

BlueStimulator said:


> I hope so, plus an old neighbor has a quarter acre in red grapes we may trade some grapes instead of a rental fee on the crusher. Sometime when I am up your way would love to see your set up.



If you are ever up this way give a holler. Always up for a chat and swap. I don't pass through you area often, but since we are close.....


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## Mismost (Mar 29, 2017)

Blue.... I am such a cheapskate!!!!

BS! You are frugal...frugal is not being a cheapskate. A cheapskate buys the cheapest toilet paper and then uses 4 times as much! While a frugal man buys the best and only uses 1/3 as much. Note that both are still throwing money down the crapper. You simply can not spend money and actually save money at the same time. It just doesn't work.

Perhaps, you could use that floor corker in an unorthodox manner and save on toilet paper??!! Just a thought.


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## Kraffty (Mar 29, 2017)

great investment, but now you've got to spend the next 6 months pining away for the chance to "Fire it up". Remind me, how many vines do you have so far?
Mike


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## BlueStimulator (Mar 29, 2017)

Kraffty said:


> Remind me, how many vines do you have so far?
> Mike



Single wire Cordon (think one vine to wire then going north-south for a total of 2 cordon arms)
6 vines 4th leafing Viognier 
6 vines 2nd leafing Viognier 

Double wire Cordon (think one vine to a central wire then spiltting one east one west then each going north-south for a total of 4 cordon arms)
2 vines Petite Verdot 4th leafing
2 vines Cab Franc 4th leafing
10 vines Cabernet S. 4th leafing

I hope this makes sense


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## JohnT (Mar 30, 2017)

Good looking crusher there Jason. May nothing by the finest grapes pass through her!


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## crankyoldlibrian (Mar 31, 2017)

Enjoy!!!

I got lucky and found a used crusher/destemmer at the end of the Italian season last year. I'm only doing a few hundred pounds each season right now, but this thing saved me, my wife, & a couple friends hours compared to when we destemmed by hand. I think I did 300lbs in about 15 minutes!


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## JohnT (Apr 5, 2017)

AAAAAH, the miracle of modern equipment!!!


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## Mismost (Apr 5, 2017)

crankyoldlibrian said:


> Enjoy!!!
> 
> I got lucky and found a used crusher/destemmer at the end of the Italian season last year. I'm only doing a few hundred pounds each season right now, but this thing saved me, my wife, & a couple friends hours compared to when we destemmed by hand. I think I did 300lbs in about 15 minutes!




Watch out! This sounds a lot like when we motorized our meat grinder. I could grind a whole boned out deer in about ten minutes. So, I ground up three of them!

Forgot all about the seasoning, mixing, stuffing, tying, smoking, bagging, and freezing part of the deal. A fast 30 minute grind nets me two solid days of hard work!

I have the same problem with chain saws and trees! I can lay down more wood in an hour than I can clean up in three days!


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## jburtner (Apr 5, 2017)

Mismost said:


> Watch out! This sounds a lot like when we motorized our meat grinder. I could grind a whole boned out deer in about ten minutes. So, I ground up three of them!
> 
> Forgot all about the seasoning, mixing, stuffing, tying, smoking, bagging, and freezing part of the deal. A fast 30 minute grind nets me two solid days of hard work!
> 
> I have the same problem with chain saws and trees! I can lay down more wood in an hour than I can clean up in three days!



Yeah! Just think about all the bottles of wine you're going to eventually have to open now. It'll take at least a couple days 

-johann


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## JohnT (Apr 6, 2017)

Mismost said:


> Watch out! This sounds a lot like when we motorized our meat grinder. I could grind a whole boned out deer in about ten minutes. So, I ground up three of them!
> 
> Forgot all about the seasoning, mixing, stuffing, tying, smoking, bagging, and freezing part of the deal. A fast 30 minute grind nets me two solid days of hard work!
> 
> I have the same problem with chain saws and trees! I can lay down more wood in an hour than I can clean up in three days!


 

It is not really a problem. He just now needs a couple of SSVC tanks, a good food grade pump, a bigger press, a bottle filler, and a good team to just knock it all out. 

Of all of that, getting a team together should be the easiest thing. I can testify to the fact the "hey, do you want to come over and bottle some wine?" will get far more volunteers then "Hey, want to come over and mow my lawn?".


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