The "Presser" Method

[dangerdave]

I know I am not the first to ever do this, but I need a named for it. I have refered to it in the past as the Dragon Blood method, after my favorate skeeter pee recipe, but I am branching out to some basic fruit wines, and needed to call it something. So, I'm dubbing it the Presser Method for now (presser is French for "squeeze")

The basic idea is this. Instead of juicing the fruit prior to fermentation, I place the fruit (whatever it may be) into fine mesh bags (about six pounds to a bag) and drop them---gently---into the must, which consists of the sugar and water. After the yeast is pitched, the bags are squeezed each day and the must is vigorously stirred. The fruit is thereby juiced during fermentation instead of before.

I can already anticipate the flood of questions and concerns...

I'm currently running an experiment on this method---called "Dragonette Wine"---which uses my Dragon Blood recipe minus the lemon juice. Watch for it, and give me some input...please.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

The advantage of not knowing the real gravity and acidity of your wine since the fruit is whole is?
I think the grape people do this calling it carbonic maceration?

CC

 

[BobF]

I think this is more a 'whole berry' ferment. Carbonic maceration requires a sealed fermenter with CO2 flushing.

If I was doing this, I would crush enough fruit to cover the whole berries with fruit juice instead of acidic sugar water.

 

[dangerdave]

The advantage of not knowing the real gravity and acidity of your wine since the fruit is whole is?
I think the grape people do this calling it carbonic maceration?

CC

Yea, I figured someone would bring this up. I start with a lower SG than desired to compensate for the sugars in the fruit. It's not an exact science, I know, but I'm not shooting for exact here. I'm shooting for simple.

The acid is usually a best guess, since I still have no way of testing my PH. Yes, lazy I know, but after 40+ batches, I am yet to disappoint.

Thanks for piping in, CC.

 

[dangerdave]

I think this is more a 'whole berry' ferment. Carbonic maceration requires a sealed fermenter with CO2 flushing.

If I was doing this, I would crush enough fruit to cover the whole berries with fruit juice instead of acidic sugar water.

The whole idea was to be able to make fruit wine without crushing prior to ferment, for those of us who don't have a press or juicer. It's still in the experiment stage.

I very much appreciate your input, Bob.

 

[BobF]

I don't have a press and I don't always use the juicer. I use a tater masher to smash up fruit prior to fermenting. Gently so I don't crush any seeds I always freeze fruit prior to use, so it kinda mushy when it thaws anyway.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

DD, I just thought you didnt like getting your hands purple CC

 

[mccrob]

I probaly should'nt ,but i put my fruit through a blender(after freezing and thawing)then either put it in a mesh bag or just right in the must loose.I'm fairly new to wine making and like to keep things simple.

 

[dangerdave]

DD, I just thought you didnt like getting your hands purple CC

CC, I do! Squeezing the bags every day lends it's own share of mauve to my nails. Nothing a good washing don't fix!

 

[jswordy]

I see nothing unusual in this method. There are scads of recipes online and in books that call for this very procedure, and it is the one I use with my grape and blueberry wine. It works fine. The only possible differences in my method are that I do gently crush the berries in the bag while holding it over the bucket, just before they are plunged into the must for the first time, and that I do not squeeze the bag again until the end. I just punch it down. When the bag comes out, I squeeze very gently to extract the liquor and not the fines.

I can see how, if you are using grapes rather than berries, squeezing the bag might be a good thing. With berries, though, I'd worry that it would squeeze out too many fines that would create a huge lee and fine pile to deal with later on.

I will say that wines I make by pressing first and fermenting the juice clear up a whole lot faster than those made with the bag method or the direct fruit in the bucket method. But it's all good once it hits the glass!

 

[dangerdave]

Good points, Jim. I was just trying to decide what to call it. I couldn't find a name for this method. I use this process for all my fruit wines with no overage of lees. It works great. I do use fine mesh bags, just for that reason, by the way.

 

[jswordy]

How about Squeezy-Leesy?

Or the improved method, Easy-Squeezy-Leesy?

 

[barryjo]

The whole idea was to be able to make fruit wine without crushing prior to ferment, for those of us who don't have a press or juicer. It's still in the experiment stage.

I very much appreciate your input, Bob.

I use a pastry blender to mash the berries. The kind with the flat tines, not the round ones.
And my fine mesh bag is often a knee-high nylon stocking. Squeeze the "bag" during and at the end of ferment. I will press the "bag" with a slotted spoon daily. When done, pitch the "bag". No muss, no fuss.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

DD, here is a book written about your method, Award winning wines book by Bill Smith, very interesting and even takes it a step further. Crackedcork

I know I am not the first to ever do this, but I need a named for it. I have refered to it in the past as the Dragon Blood method, after my favorate skeeter pee recipe, but I am branching out to some basic fruit wines, and needed to call it something. So, I'm dubbing it the Presser Method for now (presser is French for "squeeze")

The basic idea is this. Instead of juicing the fruit prior to fermentation, I place the fruit (whatever it may be) into fine mesh bags (about six pounds to a bag) and drop them---gently---into the must, which consists of the sugar and water. After the yeast is pitched, the bags are squeezed each day and the must is vigorously stirred. The fruit is thereby juiced during fermentation instead of before.

I can already anticipate the flood of questions and concerns...

I'm currently running an experiment on this method---called "Dragonette Wine"---which uses my Dragon Blood recipe minus the lemon juice. Watch for it, and give me some input...please.

 

[dangerdave]

Intersting. So, Bill advocates fermenting x juice down to about 1.000, then add the x fruit. I hadn't thought of that. He says the high alcohol level extracts more of the skins flavor/aroma. I wonder if different juice and/or fruit combinations would achieve delicious results.

Sounds like another comparison study is forthcoming!