Pressing fruit pulp

[Raptor99]

I have read numerous times about grape winemakers pressing the grapes after fermentation. Do any of you do that with fruit wine?

Today I started a 5 gal batch of pear wine. I normally put the fruit in a nylon brew bag, so that it is easier to remove at the end of primary fermentation. With smaller batches, I am able to use my hands to squeeze out most of the juice from the pulp. For 3-gal batches I have tried dividing the fruit into two brew bags, so that I can squeeze them by hand. For 5+ gal batches that doesn't seem practical. But 30-40 lbs. of fruit in a brew bag is far too heavy for me to lift out of the bucket, much less squeeze by hand.

Pears have a lot of pulp, so without squeezing the juice out of the must I would likely end up with about 3 gallons of wine from a 5 gallon batch. I am not willing to loose 1 gallon of wine in the pulp. So I am looking for solutions.

I have a small stainless steel fruit press with a basket that has about a 1-gal capacity. I could possibly divide the fruit pulp into 2-3 batches after primary and press it that way. I could sanitize everything, but what about introducing oxygen to the wine in the pressing process. If any of you press the fruit pulp after fermentation, I would be interested to hear about your experience.

 

[mikewatkins727]

At this stage in your fermentation, introducing oxygen is the least of your worries. O2 would aid in yeast growth (bidding). Hence forth avoid the O2. Apparently I have bought the same press to use on my larger batches of fruit wine as you have.

Isn't Alchemy fun?

 

[Ohio Bob]

I put a nylon fine mesh bag in my 5g bucket, binder clip around the perimeter so the bag sits a foot off the bottom. Pour in my blackberry must, a lot of juice makes it right through. Then I hand squeeze the bag trying to get as much juice out as possible. It takes a number of these to fill a 3g carboy. The key is to not fill the bag so much that it takes 7 hands for squeezing, work in smaller increments.

 

[Raptor99]

At this stage in your fermentation, introducing oxygen is the least of your worries. O2 would aid in yeast growth (bidding). Hence forth avoid the O2. Apparently I have bought the same press to use on my larger batches of fruit wine as you have.

Isn't Alchemy fun?

Near the end of primary fermentation the yeast are no longer reproducing and don't need oxygen. It depends on how soon you press. I usually leave the fruit in the primary until the fermentation is nearly complete.

 

[ChuckD]

I pressed fermented rhubarb with my wine press and it worked great.

When I fermented crushed apples I scooped out all the solids I could with a colander and put them in a fine mesh bag then pressed the bags in the wine press… very messy business. It worked just as well hanging them for about 15 minutes and gently squeezing the liquid out. I think pears would be similar.

For beets and elderberries I used the bags as well.

 

[winemaker81]

I could sanitize everything, but what about introducing oxygen to the wine in the pressing process.

Post-fermentation the must is out-gassing so much CO2 that O2 is not a serious problem.

I haven't made a large batch of a fruit wine in many moons, so I don't bother doing more than hand pressing. My #40 press is serious overkill. However, I have an ancient 1 gallon stainless steel fruit press I need to clean up. I'd use that.

 

[Raptor99]

It worked just as well hanging them for about 15 minutes and gently squeezing the liquid out. I think pears would be similar.

Interesting, I might need to experiment with both methods.

Some presses are $500+, but

Post-fermentation the must is out-gassing so much CO2 that O2 is not a serious problem.

I found a 4.75 gal press that is not too expensive:
https://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Gallon-Basket-Berries-Making/dp/B0777VKQPK/That would come in handy for making hard cider as well. The advantage of something larger than my 1-gal press is that doing many batches is very time consuming. Of course a larger press needs to be mounted on something and stored somewhere. I might need to negotiate for more garage space.

Post-fermentation the must is out-gassing so much CO2 that O2 is not a serious problem.

If I press when fermentation is about 80% finished that would probably work.

 

[winemaker81]

If I press when fermentation is about 80% finished that would probably work.

Even a week later, the wine is still outgassing a lot.

 

[Jim Welch]

Agree with ChuckD, hanging those mesh bags is very effective in draining the lion's share. I do this on each and every batch of wine with fruit in it. I have custom mesh bags with drawstrings for my 10 Gal. Brute that I primary in. I put a hook in the ceiling rafter to tie the bag off to it, suspended above the wine yet still in the bucket, and let it drain.

 

[Raptor99]

Agree with ChuckD, hanging those mesh bags is very effective in draining the lion's share. I do this on each and every batch of wine with fruit in it. I have custom mesh bags with drawstrings for my 10 Gal. Brute that I primary in. I put a hook in the ceiling rafter to tie the bag off to it, suspended above the wine yet still in the bucket, and let it drain.

Interesting... So do you think that 15 minutes hanging in the bag is almost as good as pressing? I could put a hook in the ceiling.

 

[ChuckD]

Interesting... So do you think that 15 minutes hanging in the bag is almost as good as pressing? I could put a hook in the ceiling.

Might have been a bit more. Plenty of gentle squeezing too. Some depends on the mesh size. I was using a very fine mesh… I don’t know the micron size, but very little pulp escaped. In the end the pulp was like stiff oatmeal so it was pretty efficient.

When I used the press it was faster but I pushed more pulp through the bag too. And then all the additional cleanup!

 

[Raptor99]

When I used the press it was faster but I pushed more pulp through the bag too. And then all the additional cleanup!

Hanging the mesh bag sounds like a lot less work!

It's interesting that you have used a press, but prefer hanging the bags.

 

[ChuckD]

Hanging the mesh bag sounds like a lot less work!

It's interesting that you have used a press, but prefer hanging the bags.

The press has its place…grapes, rhubarb, un-fermented apples… it doesn’t work as well for those mushy musts.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Yes I press. I like to press at 1.020 so that I have active out gassing. I use the press basket and nylon filter bag as much as a filter funnel to remove the bulk of liquid from the wine as anything. I worked in the food industry and filter pressing is a natural processing step which many non-fermented foods get en route to producing a safe/ attractive food.

Oxidation? ,, My quality went up when I routinely added meta to fight oxidation.

 

[David Violante]

Do you have a press already? As I looked at the one you posted it occurred to me that you could modify a current press with a smaller basket and not have too much of an expense at all. I believe @Rice_Guy has made some pretty efficient small volume ones using pvc pipe and clamps.

One of the issues with some fruits is that the pulp is hard to press in bulk, especially if you’ve used something like pectic enzyme. I’ve seen presses with layered bags or using rice hulls to overcome this issue. That and being patient in pressing.

 

[BigDaveK]

I did six 3-gallon all-pear wines last year. Lined the bucket with a brew bag, thought it would be a simple matter to suspend the bag and let it drain. My bags are 250 micron and clog easily, needing a LOT of kneading. Trying to do 3 gallons at a time was, uh, comical. After the first misadventure I used a 2-quart measuring cup and transferred a portion to another bag in another bucket. A gallon at a time is certainly easier to work with.
Right now it doesn't bother me enough to look for an alternative.

 

[winemaker81]

I did six 3-gallon all-pear wines last year. Lined the bucket with a brew bag, thought it would be a simple matter to suspend the bag and let it drain. My bags are 250 micron and clog easily, needing a LOT of kneading. Trying to do 3 gallons at a time was, uh, comical. After the first misadventure I used a 2-quart measuring cup and transferred a portion to another bag in another bucket. A gallon at a time is certainly easier to work with.
Right now it doesn't bother me enough to look for an alternative.

My thought for situations like this is apply bentonite to get the solids to drop, instead of trying to squeeze through a bag.

 

[ChuckD]

My thought for situations like this is apply bentonite to get the solids to drop, instead of trying to squeeze through a bag.

Would that work here? This is near the end of primary when you need to get gross lees out. I’ve had musts at this stage that were like thin apple sauce. Does the bentonite work before off-gassing is complete?

 

[winemanden]

Just a thought. Don't press or squeeze the pulp too hard, or the mush may ooze through the bag. That kind of defeats the object of putting the fruit in the bag to start with.

 

[winemaker81]

Would that work here? This is near the end of primary when you need to get gross lees out. I’ve had musts at this stage that were like thin apple sauce. Does the bentonite work before off-gassing is complete?

It should work, at least partially. I'd wait until the hydrometer is below 1.000 and stable for 3 days, as the ferment should be done.

I'd use a drill-mounted stirring rod and stir for 3 minutes, changing direction every 30 seconds. I don't normally stir that much for degassing, but in this case I would. Prepare the bentonite (dissolve in hot water, some folks let it rest over night), and stir it into the must for another 1 minute.

I don't know how quickly this will work, nor if it will fully clear the wine, but it should precipitate gross lees within 4 to 7 days. Rack carefully off the precipitate.