Wine Press Set Up

[Jenks829]

Does anyone have any pictures of their set up when they press wine off grape skins/seeds? I'll be pressing about 600lbs of grapes soon (yes, I know I am in for it but don't worry, we have a lot of helpers) and I would like to see how other do it so I can prepare myself and hopefully avoid some mistakes.

Our wine is split into two 78 gallon primary fermenters. One containing Merlot, the other Cabernet Sauvignon. Which are housed in my garage sitting on wooden 4X4's to prevent heat loss thru the concrete floor. I was thinking of pressing in the driveway to avoid having to move the fermenters too far. My rough brainstorming produces a wine press on cinder blocks to raise the height above the top of the carboy and funnel. Fill a bucket with must, pour it into the press and slowly turn. How does this sound?

Also, how messy is the pressing process? Other than pressing slow, how can I limit the amount of wine that missed the carboy and maximize the amount of wine out of the must? How hard or tight should I press? Any pros or cons to really pressing the must tight?

For a good laugh, read

www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9900

and see what type of day we are in for!

 

[JohnT]

The pressing process can be rather messy. I think that you have the right approach (doing it in your driveway) so that you can simply clean up with a garden hose.

I find that pressing the grapes rather fast and tight can produce bitter wine. My advise to to press low and slow. Take your time, Make a day of it.

I normally pour in some must, gently squeeze, then pour more must on top, then gently squeeze, and so on.

 

[Giuseppe]

I crush my grapes into 55 gal. drums, and i have a 55 gal. drum that is cut to fit under the spout on the press. I add the must and allow the free run to drain off into the smaller cut drum. i then transfer the juice collected to yet another 55 gal. drum i taste the free run and then in my increments of pressing i also taste the juice, stopping when the taste is not to my liking. I also try not to press the seeds, a lot of bitterness comes from seeds. I send you a pic of my set up... i just crushed the grapes sunday.

 

[Rock]

Hey Giuseppe,how long did your ferment last and how much did you press?

 

[Jenks829]

I crush my grapes into 55 gal. drums, and i have a 55 gal. drum that is cut to fit under the spout on the press. I add the must and allow the free run to drain off into the smaller cut drum. i then transfer the juice collected to yet another 55 gal. drum i taste the free run and then in my increments of pressing i also taste the juice, stopping when the taste is not to my liking. I also try not to press the seeds, a lot of bitterness comes from seeds. I send you a pic of my set up... i just crushed the grapes sunday.

Giuseppe, I would really appreciate seeing the pic. How many pounds of grapes did you work with this year and which type of grape(s)? How large is your press? After the free run, are you able to fit all of you grape skins in the press at once? What are you looking for when you say the taste is not to your liking? Bitterness? Thank you very much for your reply!

 

[Wade E]

Best thing to do is collect all the free run juice you can befoe pressing and keep that seperate and taste as you are pressing the rest. Youll be able to taste the difference when you start pressing to hard and if you go too far and you keep it all together you can ruin the whole batch. Heres a pic of how I handled the height problem. Dont try to get it into a carboy, use a bucket as thats where it will ferment anyway.

 

[Giuseppe]

Hey Giuseppe,how long did your ferment last and how much did you press?

After i crushed i allowed them to ferment between 7-10 days. this year the batch was fermenting well and has a great taste at 9 days to i pressed at 9.

 

[Giuseppe]

Giuseppe, I would really appreciate seeing the pic. How many pounds of grapes did you work with this year and which type of grape(s)? How large is your press? After the free run, are you able to fit all of you grape skins in the press at once? What are you looking for when you say the taste is not to your liking? Bitterness? Thank you very much for your reply!

I did 640Lbs of grapes this Sunday, I'll likely be doing another 640Lbs in a few weeks. Once the free run, runs off without pressure the grapes condense a lot, i'm able to fit probably half in the press. I usually do two presses for each load. I taste the run off and then every incremental press along the way i taste the juice once the sweetness goes away, it starts getting bitter that's when i stop. since i don't add ANYTHING its important i not have bitter wine

 

[JohnT]

There are two interesting schools of thought on this. The right way to go, I believe, depends on just how long you plan on aging your wine.

The bitterness is mostly in the form of tannins. Tannins (although bitter) provide a great defense (for wine) against oxidation and oxygen. Perhaps there have been times that you noticed a concretion that has formed inside a wine bottle or wine vessel over time. This concretion forms when the tannins in the wine react with any present oxygen. As this happens, the tannins are reduced, and the wine becomes less bitter.

IMO, the answer is ...

1) if you plan to drink most of the wine straight away, then I would separate the free run juice from the pressed juice. Drink the free run wine first and let the pressed juice age a bit.

2) If you plan to age most of the wine for a while, then I would recomend that you blend the free run juice with the pressings.

 

[Jenks829]

First off, you guys have great wine presses! They look like a million bucks!

Wade - You say you press into buckets. Is this were you do you MLF? I was planning on doing the MLF in 6.5 gallon carboys. Do you see any problems with this? Also, I like the addition of the mesh bag in your press. I am sure that helps in clean up and preventing splatter.

Giuseppe - Do you do a MLF? In relation to what John had posted, how long do you age your wine? For example, the wine you pressed last Sunday, when do you expect to start enjoying that?

John - I don't expect to bottle this wine until August/September of 2011 and then bottle age for as long as I can stand, hopefully at least 6-9 months. I plan on getting about 50 bottles out of this batch and like to see at least half of them make it to the 2 year mark.

Here's another one: What does everyone do with their pressed grape skins? Compost? Trash? Some recipe for muffins or jelly or something else?

 

[JohnT]

If you grow you own tomatoes, there is nothing better. I compost and then roto-till them into my beds before I plant my tomatoes!!

Also, Deer just love fermented grapes skins. I pile some up for them and then watch the show as they proceed to get very drunk.

 

[Giuseppe]

Giuseppe - Do you do a MLF? In relation to what John had posted, how long do you age your wine? For example, the wine you pressed last Sunday, when do you expect to start enjoying that?

I anticipate being able to have my wine around Easter, and i usually have enough to get me to the following Easter BUT not always.

 

[Rock]

Yep thats how all the old school italians do it easter thats when all the wine starts off to the races.

 

[Giuseppe]

Yep thats how all the old school italians do it easter thats when all the wine starts off to the races.

YOU GOT IT!!!

 

[Wade E]

I dont do MLF in my buckets and posted wrong, sorry about that. I do press into my bucket but then transfer to carboy via spigot. Its just so much easier to get it into a bucket vs. that little hole in the carboy while pressing as your moving the press sometimes while ratcheting. John and whom ever. I do take and blend the free run and pressed juice but just keep them separate at first just in case I were to accidentally press to hard. Once all pressed I blend it all in tasting along the way to make sure it doesnt come out to tannin and ferment the rest separately and use this for topping up.

 

[Giuseppe]

I dont do MLF in my buckets and posted wrong, sorry about that. I do press into my bucket but then transfer to carboy via spigot. Its just so much easier to get it into a bucket vs. that little hole in the carboy while pressing as your moving the press sometimes while ratcheting. John and whom ever. I do take and blend the free run and pressed juice but just keep them separate at first just in case I were to accidentally press to hard. Once all pressed I blend it all in tasting along the way to make sure it doesnt come out to tannin and ferment the rest separately and use this for topping up.

I too do not use MLF, and i press mine into a cut piece if a 55 gal drum. from there it goes into another 55 gal drum to mix the flavors up, then into the carboys. I bulk age mine in Demijohns... maybe ill try a barrel one day.