Pressed the 60# Triple Berry wine this morning, it was a holy freaking mess. Blueberries act and press much like grapes do, but that quantity of raspberries and blackberries are a different story all together. Since it was only about 8 gallons of must, I just dumped it through my basket press after its final punchdown. The first few gallons came out just like you'd expect, but the little particles of blackberries, raspberries and their seeds quickly locked up the slats in my wooden press. I'm sure the EX-V didn't help the situation either. In the end, it really just took a little longer than it should, stirring and waiting for the wine to drain out of the slurry in the basket so that I could actually get down to pressing. Ended up with a little cake about 3" thick. Pretty small amount of pomace for 60# of fruit.
The wine is in 6 gallon and three gallon carboys, both filled to about the shoulders, so about 7.5 or 8 gallons at the moment, though I'd expect to lose another gallon or so to gross lees when they are left behind this weekend. It's a super dark, very fruity smelling concoction at the moment, not as dark as a cab, just a tad lighter. Hope it doesn't suck.
)
