How do you fill your grape-pack bag?

[sour_grapes]

I have made only a few kits so far, but I haven't yet figured out a way to handle the grape pack. Both grape-pack kits I have used were from Cellar Craft; they give you a bag made from something like stretchy cheesecloth. Both times, I tried to fill this bag while holding both it and the grape pack over the already-full bucket, as directed by the instructions. I am a reasonably dextrous guy, but I felt like I needed a third hand (or maybe a fourth, too!). I did not feel like I could squeeze all of the goo out of the grape pack while holding on to the cheesecloth, and not sloshing the bucket to boot.

(Both times, I wound up just dumping the contents of the grape pack into the primary. I probably lost a liter of wine in the lees this way.)

Does anyone have any tips on making this transfer?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Gwand]

I line a glass bowl with the cheesecloth. Bend the edges of the cloth around the perimeter of the bowl. then I empty the grape pack into the bowl. I remove the edges of the cheesecloth from the bowl and tie a knot. Then I place the cheese cloth into the primary. I should've said that I soak the cheese cloth in meta sulfite and then rinse well in sterile water before I begin this process.

 

[bkisel]

I've only done it once so far. Sanitized the cheesecloth, put it over the first jar and turned the jar upside down - this was done over a bowl. Stretched the cloth opening over the second jar, which was held more at an angle, and tipped that jar upside down into the bag. Pull up on the bag opening gives plenty of cloth with which to tie a knot.

I actually feel Gwand's method is better, only have to find the right size and shape of bowl or pot.

BTW, punching down the bag only worked on day 1 and after that I'd put on latex (I think) gloves, squirt the with K-meta solution then wait a few minutes for the gloves to dry and squeeze the bag while it floated in the primary.

 

[Rocky]

I get a stainless steel stockpot from the kitchen, stretch the bag over the top and secure it with a large rubber band. Then, I hold the jar or bag in one hand and dump/scoop the grapes into the bag with a spatula. When it is mostly out of the container it was shipped in, I rinse the container with a cup or so of water and dump it into the bag. I release the rubber band, tie a knot in the top of the bag (all this time it is still in the stainless steel pot) and carry the pot to the primary. I put the bag in the primary and dump any juice that went through the bag into the primary as well. Works like a charm.

As pointed out by Gwand and Bkisel above, I soak and rinse the bag in k-meta solution before starting and I squeeze the bag every day, at least once.

 

[sour_grapes]

Wow, thanks for the great ideas. Like all good ideas, your procedures sound obvious in hindsight! I could not envision this ahead of time, however. Now I am looking forward to my next grape-pack kit! Thank you.

(bkisel: My late father was in VMA-131, last unit to fly the A-4.)

 

[sour_grapes]

Okay, I started a grape-skin kit last night. I used the ideas that Gwand, bkisel, and Rocky presented above. I used a large stainless steel salad bowl, and sanitized it and the bag. Then I did as they said above, and it worked like a charmed snake.

I am so much more looking forward to racking this kit off the gross lees than what I went through on the previous kits!

Thank you!

 

[Rocky]

That is great, Paul. Another advantage of having the skins in the bag is that you can (and should) give the bag a good squeeze a couple of times a day for better extraction.

 

[sour_grapes]

It's funny you say that. I just came back from my first nightly stir/punchdown/bag squeeze before turning to read WMT. Ferment has started, based on CO2 production, and the SG is still climbing (due to sugars from grape pack, I assume). Started at 1.074, now up to 1.080. I'll probably never know the "true" starting SG, but close enough.

 

[Boatboy24]

It's funny you say that. I just came back from my first nightly stir/punchdown/bag squeeze before turning to read WMT. Ferment has started, based on CO2 production, and the SG is still climbing (due to sugars from grape pack, I assume). Started at 1.074, now up to 1.080. I'll probably never know the "true" starting SG, but close enough.

I have a tendency to let the must sit for an hour or two before pitching the yeast. After that, I'll usually measure SG 3-4 times in the next 24 hours, or until the SG starts to drop. I just use the highest reading as my starting point.

 

[wineforfun]

I often wondered that. So when I take a reading of 1.095 after combining juice, skins, oak, etc., it is going to go up once the skins start to "sweeten" things up?

 

[Boatboy24]

I often wondered that. So when I take a reading of 1.095 after combining juice, skins, oak, etc., it is going to go up once the skins start to "sweeten" things up?

Yyyyep.

 

[tonyt]

I use bulldog clips to clamp the muslin bag to the top of the primary bucket or large pot. Then dump the grape pack in and tie off the top. I put any primary oak in the bag also. Easy racking.

 

[richmke]

I sanitize the bag, then stretch it out. Cut the top of the grape pack open. Stretch out the bag and pour it in. Holding both bags in one hand, I can pour some water into the grape pack, then rinse the grape pack and pour into the bag.

Alternatively, santize a pitcher, stretch the bag and pull over the top of the pitcher, pour grape pack into the bag/pitcher.

However, it seems like the steel bowl idea might be the easiest.