Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
You'll have to scout out some new spots to get grapes around there!
Harford is still my game. Actually, I'll now be about 20 minutes closer.
You'll have to scout out some new spots to get grapes around there!
I'm not too far from there. I'll have to remember to check in on things later in the year.
How much wine does one get from a lug of grapes?
Heather,
One last question. Is there a good place to eat down around the Harford winery? Good to me means good food and less than $50 for two. My wife and I are trying to plan an escape from our four kids for a few hours when the buckets/grapes come in. Thanks for any suggestions.
One lug of grapes yields around 2 gallons of juice depending on the 'juiciness' of the grapes. Generally, less juicy is considered better in wine grapes (opposite of table grapes), because the flavor and sugar are more concentrated then; typically, a late rain can make ripening grapes 'extra' juicy.I'm not too far from there. I'll have to remember to check in on things later in the year.
How much wine does one get from a lug of grapes?
One lug of grapes yields around 2 gallons of juice depending on the 'juiciness' of the grapes. Generally, less juicy is considered better in wine grapes (opposite of table grapes), because the flavor and sugar are more concentrated then; typically, a late rain can make ripening grapes 'extra' juicy.
In my experience, I have gotten up to 2.5 gallons from a lug, but never less than 2 gallons.
Awesome. Thanks. I guess that means 3 lugs for a full batch.
Are there any 'home' methods for pressing or is it worth it to pay them?
Thanks for the info and the link. I really like the juice + grapes idea.It should be noted that the Chilean (and I believe South African) lugs are 18lbs. These yield about 1-1.5 gallons of juice. For planning purposes, I use 1.25. California lugs are 36lbs and yield about 2.5 gallons.
Pressing, I don't think they do. When you're dealing with grapes, you have crushing/destemming, then pressing. Crushing/desteming is simply removing the grapes from the stems, then breaking them open so that the yeast can get in there and do their thing. Pressing is done when you're nearing the end of fermentation and is simply squeezing the juice out of the grapes, leaving the skins and seeds behind.
If you're thinking of getting into fresh juice and/or grapes, going with a juice bucket and adding a lug of grapes is a great way to start without having to invest in any additional equipment. You can buy 6 gallons of juice for $50 or $60 and the lug of grapes will cost you about another 27 or 28. Yeast, nutrients, malolactic bacteria, etc will run you another $30 or so. In the end, you'll get around 7 gallons of wine for roughly $100. Not a bad deal. 18lbs of grapes is a very manageable quantity. You can destem and crush by hand, add the grapes to a mesh paint strainer bag and put the bag into the juice. When you get near the end of fermentation, just remove the bag and squeeze out the juice. I did this a few years ago for my first attempt and it worked out pretty well. I chronicled the progress here:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f60/chilean-wine-adventure-38422/
Hmmm. The 2nd week of May just might work. Any idea when the sale ends? I've never tried Carmenere before.The Chilean goodies have come in around the 2nd week of May the last two years. The barrel really kicks up your game, but it is not a requirement. You can still get oak essence using cubes or staves and would only be missing the microoxidation and concentration that the barrel brings. Carmenere and Malbec are two popular Chilean wines. I did both my first time. Last year, I went whole grapes and have a 50/50 cabernet merlot blend. I like your idea of Cab juice with PV grapes. One of my favorite commercial Chilean wines is a blend of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot. That's what I'd be making this year, were I not skipping the Chilean harvest due to a move.
I never considered using the bucket it came in. Do you just rest the lid on top of the bucket or do you have a way of sealing it? I'm coming from the brewing world where everything gets airlocked.I had to split the batches into two buckets because of the grape addition. The juice buckets come with only about an inch of headspace and adding 18lbs of grapes would have resulted in a certain overflow, once fermentation got going. So I kept half the juice in the bucket it came in and the rest in another bucket (your existing fermenter will do just fine).
This is a good excuse to get another carboy. Don't rush that Sauv Blanc along.
I never considered using the bucket it came in. Do you just rest the lid on top of the bucket or do you have a way of sealing it? I'm coming from the brewing world where everything gets airlocked.
I've got my eye out for another carboy, but I'm trying to keep expenses down for now. If I get the juice and grapes during the 2nd week of May and add in the time it will spend in the buckets, that will give me about 6-7 weeks of the Sauv Blanc in the carboy. I know beer kits are notorious for giving unrealistically short timeframes. Is that the case here as well?
I appreciate all the advice so far. I'm really enjoying learning about all this.
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