Any tips on hand pressing or is it as simple as it
sounds - destem, crush and squeeze by hand over a
pail? A cheesecloth bag perhaps?

Don

On 2/14/04 2:04 PM, in article
, "Don S"
> wrote:

> Any tips on hand pressing or is it as simple as it
> sounds - destem, crush and squeeze by hand over a
> pail? A cheesecloth bag perhaps?
>
> Don

Yep -- I usually take a plastic barrel or pail, line it with a cloth sack
that my wife sewed, and use a plastic coated wire strainer on top. Pour the
wine through it, and squeeze the bejeebies out of the pulp with my hands.
The straining through the cloth gets the finer stuff that the strainer
doesn't. I have used this with my chokecherry and grape wines this year and
it worked pretty well.

Here is picture if it helps:

http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Win...03/squeeze.png

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

>
> Here is picture if it helps:
>
> http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Win...03/squeeze.png

Now I know why I like this group, not only do you get an
answer but a picture to go with it. Thanks Greg.

Don

"Don S" > wrote in message
om...
> Any tips on hand pressing or is it as simple as it
> sounds - destem, crush and squeeze by hand over a
> pail? A cheesecloth bag perhaps?
>
> Don

Don,
Pressing by hand is even simpler than that. In general, there is no need to
destem. The stems tend to facilitate juice removal.
lum

> Pressing by hand is even simpler than that. In general, there is no need to
> destem. The stems tend to facilitate juice removal.


Lum,
So basically squeeze the stemmed grapes over a sieve
and off we go into the carboy for fermentation.

I checked my foot size and sure enough I can step into
a 6 gal pail (even if they did call me pontoons in high
school). Perhaps the old ways are best, that way I'd
have 240 pds of press.

Don

"Don S" > wrote in message
m...
> > Pressing by hand is even simpler than that. In general, there is no
need to
> > destem. The stems tend to facilitate juice removal.
>
>
> Lum,
> So basically squeeze the stemmed grapes over a sieve
> and off we go into the carboy for fermentation.
>
> I checked my foot size and sure enough I can step into
> a 6 gal pail (even if they did call me pontoons in high
> school). Perhaps the old ways are best, that way I'd
> have 240 pds of press.
>
> Don

Hi Don,
Man has been making wine for thousands of years, and equipment did not exist
most of that time. The juice can be extracted from a few pounds of grapes
by hand without much effort. But, those 240 pounds help, so stomping grapes
is much more efficient.
lum