That was one nice crusher for sure. Much better than the one I picked up this Summer but then it does also cost 4X more!
2011 Fresh Grapes From California via FVW
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I would have had a hard time fitting the grapes into the Brutes w/o crushing them. By crushing them onsite I dropped a lot of volume and made room for an Ice Bomb in each Brute, I got a head start on a cold soak plus I didn't have to clean up!
Crushing the grapes after a 10 hour drive home with a bad cold did not sound like much fun either......
Crushing the grapes after a 10 hour drive home with a bad cold did not sound like much fun either......
Still have two that are not quite dry yet. Tested them again last night. One of the Cab Sauv's and the Other is one of the Merlot's. Both of these were inoculated with BDX or Bordeaux Red. Its known to be a soft fermenter and true to form it is. I added heat to both of them yesterday morning and the must temps on both were in the 70-72 range. SG dropped 0.001 in 24 hours. Last nights reading was 1.002 and 1.000. Left the heat on through the night and temps are about the same this AM. Will check again tonight and press tomorrow. Gave the others a gentle stir last night just to keep everything wet. The aroma on the BDX is very nice I have to say. Lots of berry.
Well press for 2011 is a wrap!
Yesterday was a holiday for Veterans day so a perfect time to press. The 2 batches I inoculated with BDX (Bordeaux Red) yeast needed those extra days to finish out. They were both at 0.998 but it took them 3 extra days and a brew belt to finish just in the nick of time. A good friend of mine came over yesterday and I had everything pretty much set up and ready. We started at 11:30AM. Temp was around 40 and it was cloudy...... Was sunny all week long and come time to press....... Oh well, I fired up the propane patio heater as well as an electric heat dish and we went to work.
This was my first use of the #30 ratchet press I picked up from the Winemakers Toy Store this Summer. It performed perfectly and was just the right size. So glad I didn't order the #25 as this thing took the complete batch in one shot and pressed it to perfection. We had beautiful press cakes each time.
I was totally blown away with not only the aroma of the wines but also the flavor and color. Amazing looking stuff! No comparison to the Cab and Merlot I made last year from Deming, NM. If this turns out as good as its starting out I may have to rethink where I source my fruit from next year.....
It warmed to the low 50's by the afternoon and the sun broke through the clouds a number of times and it turned out to be the perfect afternoon. We finished right at about 4:00. We would have run out of time if we had had another. 7 was perfect for that amount of time.
So what was the finally tally?
8.5 Gallons Petit Verdot8.0 Gallons Merlot #18.5 Gallons Merlot #27 Gallons Cabernet Sauvignon #17 Gallons Cabernet Sauvignon #27.5 Gallons Malbec7 Gallons Cabernet Franc
Total 53.5 Gallons!
Sorry, no pics of the press! It was just the two of us and we were working as fast as we could before we ran out of daylight plus it was a messy operation to say the least. Soooooooo glad we were out on the patio! Sure made clean up easier to just hose down the table and patio.
All wine is resting in the winery for a few days before the first rack and MLB addition. My back is TOAST today!
Yesterday was a holiday for Veterans day so a perfect time to press. The 2 batches I inoculated with BDX (Bordeaux Red) yeast needed those extra days to finish out. They were both at 0.998 but it took them 3 extra days and a brew belt to finish just in the nick of time. A good friend of mine came over yesterday and I had everything pretty much set up and ready. We started at 11:30AM. Temp was around 40 and it was cloudy...... Was sunny all week long and come time to press....... Oh well, I fired up the propane patio heater as well as an electric heat dish and we went to work.
This was my first use of the #30 ratchet press I picked up from the Winemakers Toy Store this Summer. It performed perfectly and was just the right size. So glad I didn't order the #25 as this thing took the complete batch in one shot and pressed it to perfection. We had beautiful press cakes each time.
I was totally blown away with not only the aroma of the wines but also the flavor and color. Amazing looking stuff! No comparison to the Cab and Merlot I made last year from Deming, NM. If this turns out as good as its starting out I may have to rethink where I source my fruit from next year.....
It warmed to the low 50's by the afternoon and the sun broke through the clouds a number of times and it turned out to be the perfect afternoon. We finished right at about 4:00. We would have run out of time if we had had another. 7 was perfect for that amount of time.
So what was the finally tally?
8.5 Gallons Petit Verdot8.0 Gallons Merlot #18.5 Gallons Merlot #27 Gallons Cabernet Sauvignon #17 Gallons Cabernet Sauvignon #27.5 Gallons Malbec7 Gallons Cabernet Franc
Total 53.5 Gallons!
Sorry, no pics of the press! It was just the two of us and we were working as fast as we could before we ran out of daylight plus it was a messy operation to say the least. Soooooooo glad we were out on the patio! Sure made clean up easier to just hose down the table and patio.
All wine is resting in the winery for a few days before the first rack and MLB addition. My back is TOAST today!
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Sounds like it all went pretty smoothly.
Maybe next year you can even get a small harvest of your own grapes.
Keep up the great work Mike.
Maybe next year you can even get a small harvest of your own grapes.
Keep up the great work Mike.
Thanks Rich! I just can't get over how much better the press worked over the antique one I rented last year. Good investment for sure!
The #30.
Wade said:
I put 3 lugs (108lbs) into each Brute (crushed and destemmed)
The press took the whole load each time and pressed the cake down to about 8-10" depending on varietal.
We pressed 7 Brutes so 7 presses total.
The press took the whole load each time and pressed the cake down to about 8-10" depending on varietal.
We pressed 7 Brutes so 7 presses total.
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ibglowin said:
Also, those are fermented reds. You get less of the fresh fruit in each pressing as a lot just runs through as freerun juice the way Mike did it. For comparison the #45 holds about twice as much for those considering a press or about 2- 32 gallon Brutes.
Very true, should have pointed that out more clearly for anyone considering the purchase of a press. After a week of fermentation and 2-3X a day punchdowns the grapes and skins are pretty soft and compact nicely just on their own weight. I used a 1 gallon bucket and scooped up a gallon at a time and poured it directly into the press. I did not use any paint strainer bag etc.
The slats on this press are pretty close and while a few seeds did make it through hardly and skins. Like Rich said, most of it was free run and the free run filled up an entire carboy. The press run was put into one gallon containers so they are separate from free run.
I will be racking off the gross lees today and adding ML nutrient and CH-16 MLB. Got the temps up in the carboys to 66 as of this AM. Will try and slowly raise to 68 over the next 12-24 hours.
The slats on this press are pretty close and while a few seeds did make it through hardly and skins. Like Rich said, most of it was free run and the free run filled up an entire carboy. The press run was put into one gallon containers so they are separate from free run.
I will be racking off the gross lees today and adding ML nutrient and CH-16 MLB. Got the temps up in the carboys to 66 as of this AM. Will try and slowly raise to 68 over the next 12-24 hours.
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Bartman
Senior Member
I used FVW's press last Saturday to press my 6 lugs of fresh grapes (just as good a bargain as the crusher/de-stemmer was for you Mike). I had the same experience in terms of ease of use. Wherever I end up stopping, I'm always a little skeptical that I got *all* the juice that could possibly be squeezed out, because it seems you can always ratchet 'one more time'.
While waiting <5 minutes to use FVW's press, I checked the prices on those nice, new presses - ~$300-$500, so that's a little more than I need to spend on a pretty piece of equipment I would use once, maybe twice a year. Especially when I can rent FVW's (and get a hand in using it) for $2/lug - only $12 this year, that works for me.
While waiting <5 minutes to use FVW's press, I checked the prices on those nice, new presses - ~$300-$500, so that's a little more than I need to spend on a pretty piece of equipment I would use once, maybe twice a year. Especially when I can rent FVW's (and get a hand in using it) for $2/lug - only $12 this year, that works for me.
Bartman
Senior Member
ibglowin said:
Wow, even after "the road trip that would never end"??!! I agree the grapes delivered to FVW are are high quality (in my limited knowledge/experience), but you must really be impressed with them to make that declaration!
You will probably always be better off if you can rent decent equipment (like what FWV's has to offer) rather than purchasing. Unfortunately I live in a 3rd world state.......
The closest place to rent is 210 miles round trip so multiply by 2 since I would have to pick up and return and purchasing is worth it just for the ease of owning and not having to pickup or return.
I only have one data point but without a doubt this fruit is already leaps and bounds ahead in aroma and taste from the Cab and Merlot I picked up last year.
If George is "crazy" enough to order again next year I might just be "crazy" enough to do this again. Having family in Austin and San Antonio makes it more than just a dead end run to pick up some fruit and even though it was a crazy mess, it was better than being at work!
The closest place to rent is 210 miles round trip so multiply by 2 since I would have to pick up and return and purchasing is worth it just for the ease of owning and not having to pickup or return.
I only have one data point but without a doubt this fruit is already leaps and bounds ahead in aroma and taste from the Cab and Merlot I picked up last year.
If George is "crazy" enough to order again next year I might just be "crazy" enough to do this again. Having family in Austin and San Antonio makes it more than just a dead end run to pick up some fruit and even though it was a crazy mess, it was better than being at work!
Bartman
Senior Member
Since racking to carboys, I have seen the volume drop significantly more with these fresh grapes than with kits. At first, the volume was up to within 1" of the bung, but is now down to about 2". The ambient temperature change has actually been warmer in Dallas the last week or so, and, no, I have not been sampling
. That leaves only escaping CO2 to explain that loss in volume, right?
Is that kind of drop typical for fresh grapes?
Is it more common if the must is at or slightly higher than 1.000 when pressed and racked?
Is there a standard expectation of volume reduction from the the escaping gas? Or do different wines just behave differently? I have extra juice to top off with, but that was expected to be used to replace sediment after racking.
Is that kind of drop typical for fresh grapes?
Is it more common if the must is at or slightly higher than 1.000 when pressed and racked?
Is there a standard expectation of volume reduction from the the escaping gas? Or do different wines just behave differently? I have extra juice to top off with, but that was expected to be used to replace sediment after racking.
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