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Been giving this thread some thought. I wonder how it would work if you built say a 12" x 12" wooden box about 12 inches tall. Cover the bottom with a stiff expanded metal screen. Then pour the grapes into the box and somehow force then down through the screen with a plunger. Having a bucket...

I honestly don't know but to be honest it did not work well so I did not use it. It packs the fruit /grapes rather than crushing it.

I think their wine tasted so bad the pine actually improved the taste.

Google retsina, pine flavored wine is not new. The Greek were doing it hundreds of years ago.

I clean it good after each use with a kmeta solution, so yes I have used it. In another post I explained that I ferment with the skins, pulp and/or fruit in a primary and then I take a mesh bag stretched over another primary and pour through it. That strains out the skins, seeds and pulp that...

This is the pic, simple but it works for me.

I will post a pic later today when I make it down to the basement but this is for small batches only. I just put the fruit or muscadine in a large primary and mash with the 4x4, sort of like you were digging a post hole, just pump up and down. It is all manual, no automation. It works ok up to...

I made a crusher that works well for me like this. Take a 4x4 about 4ft long, cut a round disk of wood about 5 inches in diameter, try to radius the sides to match the radius of the bucket you are going to crush in. Attach the disk to the bottom of the 4x4. Then I cut paint roller screen (cost...

Let me stab at an answer. Your first question ask about a solid bung, the kit instruction does say AFTER you de-gas. There should be no CO2 left at that point. The problem I have is keeping a solid bung in place because of changing pressure so I use an airlock. Your next question about racking...

I find it hard to keep a solid bung in place because of the changing pressure so I use a bubbler. However I do believe a solid bung would be fine if you can secure it, after all the "real" wineries use solid bungs.

What kind of corker do you have, mine has an adjustment nut on the plunger to adjust the depth.

I was thinking the same thing but just didn't post it. Taste it, if it taste good don't worry about getting to 1.000 or lower.

Where does it say what size primary he is using?

Ceeaton I am sure on your last SG reading you meant 1.0096 because 1.096 is probably about where you started. You might add some pectic enzyme if you haven't already to break some of that pulp down. I would give it time and cold crashing will help. From your post count though you have been...

The instructions say 1 teaspoon will change 1 gallon by. 15. So you have to do the math. Six teaspoons will get you down to 3.85, twelve will get you down to 3.70. I would guess you need about 18 teaspoons, BUT, I would test it in intervals to make sure you don't go too low.

I would add some acid blend to get it back to around 3.5

Did you add any water, it is usually much lower than that initially and water is added to raise the pH. Muscadine is rather highly acidic.

Replying to my own thread, I have read some reviews on Amazon for this press and they are not very good, it may be a no go.

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations on this press. It holds a little over 1 gallon. I never make larger than a 6 gallon batch of wine so I think it may be large enough. It is made by Ferrari.

I guess once this is thawed and I mash it I have visions of it looking like Apple sauce and wondering how do I get an SG reading on that. Thanks for the reply.