Separating Pulp from Wine

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djrockinsteve

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I rather let my fruit roam free in my primary as opposed to a mesh bag. The only problem is when it comes time to transfer there is so much pulp inter-mixed with the wine it's difficult to separate the two.

Here's what I wound up doing with my muscadines and it worked really slick.

Buy a mesh bag for steeping grains at your wine/beer supply store. They are only a few cents each. Then after you have poured/siphoned off what wine you can from your primary spread the mesh sock over the top of the primary bucket.

Then snap on a lid but leave 1 snap undone. Then invert the bucket and place it ontop of another bucket. The mesh sock will hold much of the sediment and with the lid unsnapped on one, it will allow the wine to work it's way out and drip into the 2nd bucket.

After 15 minutes you can siphon or pour off what wine has dripprd into the bucket, replace and allow it to continue. Repeat pouring off as needed.

After several hours you should have the majority if not all the wine separated from the pulp. I was concerned about getting the gross lees with the wine but that has seemed to remain behind stuck in the pulp and misc. grape skins.

If you like you can then take the remaining sediment and place all of that into a gallon carboy and place it in the refrigerator with an airlock on it. After 2 days you may see additional wine on top of the sediment/pulp. Simply siphon off.
 
I'm the same way I like to let my fruit/grapes roam freely in the bucket also, what I do is when ready to strain I one of those 5 gallon paint strainer bags (after I siphon off what will come off) then slowly add a couple quarts at a time to it in my metal colander. I then slowly squeeze out the wine from the pulp, it takes a bit longer. You get less pulp and what pulp does go thru is just that pulp, not anything solid. I normally do the bag like I'm kneading dough
 
I've done that but it takes time and can get messy. This way I can go and do other wine stuff and return later.

Just finished racking the last of the muscadine. Still smells awesome. Thanks
 
Wish Ild have read this prior to my starting my Country Apple, I placed my Craisens & Raisens into Home Depot bags. Not a big thing though...... Bags will keep the must alot cleaner & easier to rack....

al
 
you can use the paint bags instead of getting the gallon size get the 5 gallon size and just leave it open, you know pull the elastic over the top of the bucket sides
 
Sounds like those tricks will work. But last time I didn't use a mesh bag for my oak and skins was the last time I will every do that again.

I thought I would never get the wine racked. I am very careful to stir my wine a lot; when I do, I push that bag around and press it to the sides of the fermenter bucket... beat it up a little I guess. Then I squeeze the fire out of the bag when I get ready to rack. I figure that is enough to get all the goodies out of it for me.
 

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