Total lbs of grapes

[Steve_M]

This will be our first time using grapes.
If the final total volume of wine desired is 20 gallons, how many pounds of grapes would you want to start out with?
I know that for each 5 gallons of juice you would need approximately 3 lugs of grapes, each lug being 36 lbs.
Factor in what you lose to spillage and siphon do you generally add a lug or two to that total?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[ibglowin]

It totally depends on the varietal of grape as to how much finished wine you get as well as the Brix level of the grape. If they are really high you can (and should) bring it down with some amount of acidulated water which gives you more finished wine in the end. As you can see there are several variables here.

 

[Steve_M]

Thanks Mike,
I didn't even consider that possibility, only that I may not get what I hope to out of the possible yield as far as pressing was concerned. Something else to adjust for.

Steve

 

[ibglowin]

I generally get about ~7 gallons of finished wine out of most varietals from 3 lugs. My supply comes from the Lodi, CA AVA and they tend to be quite HIGH brix and I almost always knock it down to ~14% ABV. Otherwise some of them would be ~16-16.5 % ABV. IOW……. Rocket fuel!

 

[cmason1957]

I always go with 100 pounds of grapes gives about 6 gallons finished wine. That usually ends up just a bit high, like maybe 6.6 gallons, but is never low and it makes the math easy.

 

[Boatboy24]

I use a general rule of a 36lb lug yielding 2.5 gallons and go from there. As was stated, there are a lot of variables. But if you're doing multiple varietals and blending in the end, its a decent rule of thumb that hasn't let me down yet. Another way of thinking, as was already stated is 3 lugs = 7 gallons. Enough for a batch, plus plenty to top up a 23 liter barrel if you're barrel aging.

 

[Steve_M]

Ok, so that's what I thought thank you guys for the input.

Steve

 

[NorCal]

For my equipment and grapes I get 1 gallon of finished for 16.5 lbs. I round up to 20 lbs per gallon to account for topping and racking.

 

[Steve_M]

Crush tiiming

So here is another question.
When crush season begins, is there a difference in grape quality from what is first delivered to customer vs. weeks later?
Last year when we did our first batch of juice, it wasn't until October 4th.
Now that I know grapes may be available in early/mid September I would be more inclined to crush then.


Thanks,

Steve

 

[JohnT]

I agree with boatboy.

If you press thoroughly, you can count on one 36 pound lug yielding at least 2.5 gallons, so two lugs = one 5 gal carboy.

In short, for twenty gallons, you need eight (8) 36 lb lugs..

I advise that you add an additional lug for topping off after racking and also to cover you if you are not pressing thoroughly.

in short, get 9 lugs.

 

[ibglowin]

Its fresh fruit so....... the faster you can get it from the vineyard and into your hands the better. Mold is your worst enemy.

So here is another question.
When crush season begins, is there a difference in grape quality from what is first delivered to customer vs. weeks later?
Last year when we did our first batch of juice, it wasn't until October 4th.
Now that I know grapes may be available in early/mid September I would be more inclined to crush then.


Thanks,

Steve

 

[Boatboy24]

So here is another question.
When crush season begins, is there a difference in grape quality from what is first delivered to customer vs. weeks later?
Last year when we did our first batch of juice, it wasn't until October 4th.
Now that I know grapes may be available in early/mid September I would be more inclined to crush then.


Thanks,

Steve

Assuming the vineyard managers know what they are doing, they pick the grapes when they're ready. So you may get cabernet sauvignon one day, but not see the syrah until much later. Varietal, vineyard location, etc will all play a role in when you get the grapes.

 

[bchilders]

Assuming the vineyard managers know what they are doing, they pick the grapes when they're ready. So you may get cabernet sauvignon one day, but not see the syrah until much later. Varietal, vineyard location, etc will all play a role in when you get the grapes.

To further Boatboy24's point, each varietal ripens at different times. It also depends on the growing conditions for that season. A vineyard with excessive rain just prior to harvest may be forced to harvest early or risk loosing the crop to rot. Getting the first harvest should prove the best quality while a later or second harvest may result in grapes with higher sugars and lower acids. I doubt there is a huge difference. You should always test your fruit before pinching the yeast and adjust sugar and acid accordingly, especially if you have a specific result in mind e.g. a certain alcohol level or a certain style of wine.

 

[4score]

I second NorCal's estimate of 16.5 pounds per gallon. That's what I saw.

 

[sdelli]

I keep it simple and use a percentage..... 10% of gross grape weight turns to gallons of must...
6% to 7% of gross grape weight turns to wine.
Example.... 100 lbs of grapes turns to 10 gallons of must... 100 lbs of grapes turns into 6 to 7 gallons of wine.

 

[Steve_M]

I once read on here about the use of brutes for fermenting and how much must to add into each 20 gallon pail.
Was it about 3 lugs per 20 gallon pail, which will give you plenty of headspace for the cap not to mention lugging it around?

BTW, local distributor has first grapes due to arrive on 9/14/2015, prices should be out in next couple of weeks.
I'm putting Saturday 9/29 as our crush date.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[JohnT]

I once read on here about the use of brutes for fermenting and how much must to add into each 20 gallon pail.
Was it about 3 lugs per 20 gallon pail, which will give you plenty of headspace for the cap not to mention lugging it around?

BTW, local distributor has first grapes due to arrive on 9/14/2015, prices should be out in next couple of weeks.
I'm putting Saturday 9/29 as our crush date.

Thanks,
Steve

I would say that you can go with 5 comfortably. 5 should yield about 15 gallons of must. this gives you about 25% headspace.

 

[ibglowin]

I have extensive knowledge of the 20G Brute trash can LOL. I do 3 (36lb) lugs per 20G Brute. yes, you could do/add more but, I end up with anywhere from 11-13 gallons of must after watering back usually (high Brix) and that is about all I can safely handle and move around the winery easily. That also gets me with about 7-8 gallons of finished wine which breaks down nicely into a 6G carboy (if you are using them for bulk aging) as well as a gallon or two extra for top off (if you are using 23L barrels).

 

[Boatboy24]

I've done 4 lugs, but wouldn't go beyond that.