Free run with pressed?

[zadvocate]

How do you all approach combining free fun with your pressed juice? Free run it's a lot less astringent/bitter where as the pressed has more of that astringency in it. Do you all combined the two together regardless or keep them separate?

 

[balatonwine]

Keep them separate, then may mix later depending on results post fermentation.

 

[salcoco]

bench trials of a potential blend would be beneficial.

 

[cmason1957]

Since I just have a simple wooden fruit press, I combine it all.

 

[NorCal]

I've tasted my free and pressed, the best was when it was combined.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm not producing at a sufficient volume for me to get that picky. It all goes together.

 

[TonyR]

I think a lot depends on how hard you press. I do a very soft pressing, the solids don't even form into a block, they stay lose. I think if you press hard way to much sediment (lees) go into the wine and you end up losing even more wine thru many rackings than extra wine you gain by hard pressing. Just my 2 cents.

 

[stickman]

I also have a simple basket press and do only moderate pressing and combine as needed to fill vessels. I have often thought that there are components of each that need to be together during aging. I would keep it separate if I thought there was something really wrong, like bitterness due to under ripe grapes etc. It might make sense to keep it separate if you did something crazy like a 60 day extended maceration, or maybe pressing at high pressures with a hydraulic unit.

 

[jgmann67]

I use a bucket press for mine, so I stop pressing long before things get too tannic. But, like BBJim, I don't make enough to keep 'em separated.

 

[Rocky]

My Grandfather had a simple formula for this. The free run was always kept separate and was for family and good friends. The pressed wine was for not so good friends, cooking and vinegar.

 

[Donz]

I have always combined the 2 and had good results.

 

[zadvocate]

I was planning on combining and these responses confirmed my thoughts. Its not a lot of juice and I did a fairly light pressing.

 

[JohnT]

I combine free and pressed until I get down to just a trickle. I then start separating.

 

[FTC Wines]

I too combine free & pressed juice, with 4 lugs of each Grape variety, I have just enough wine for my barrel & topping off. Roy

 

[pete1325]

We do a hard press and combine. We have a hydraulic press so we get every drop out of the grapes. The cake is so dense sometimes that it takes a crowbar to break it up. We only leave on the skins for a week after crushing and I agree with getting too much sediment/lees doing it this way.....but I think it adds a little something to the finished wine. JMO

 

[Smok1]

I pressed last night, i kept them seperate for now, will mlf both and then use the pressed to top up the free run and then do some taste testing to see whats what.

 

[terroirdejeroir]

I have only made a separate press run bottling one time. It was a 2013 Merlot and it was one of the best wines I have ever made. Only five bottles...