Destemmer principles of operation- Photos?

Jason - How many pounds of grapes are you processing? If not too many there is a simple way to destem. I have a Eno crusher without the destemer attachment. It's light weight and easy to move around and clean. I destem through a 2-mesh stainless steel screen attached to a plywood frame that fits over a 32 gallon trash can. I've used this for years with good results. Monday afternoon I picked 233lbs Cabernet Franc in the back yard. I crushed twice in about 10 minutes. I spent a couple of hours destemming the batch using the 2-mesh screen. It's simple and very effective. All stems, including the little jack stems, can be removed with a little care. It would be nice to have a mechanized destemmer but since I already have the Eno, and only crush two to three varieties of grapes each year this system suits my operation. If you are interested I can send pictures of the screen and frame...also smaller screens I use to deseed the must before and during fermentation.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

Bill-

That would be perfect. I'm not processing any grapes *(yet)* although I may since I might be able to get some Concord or Niagara for $0.20/lb. I'm interested in building my own gear when possible- but since I get a crusher (star style wheels, spring loaded/ gear driven) with the wine press, I would like to start gaining the knowledge on how everything else works :)

As an aside, how should I clean up the wine press- disassemble/drill out the rivets on the slats, sand them down, soak in sulfite/citric acid, reassemble?

Jason

We usually process about 2000lbs of grapes for two families. We crush with a 75 year old crusher powered by an electric motor and destem by hand using a stainless steel pan with holes drilled in the bottom placed over an open 55 gal barrels. Takes about 3 hours.

Steve

How does that work by hand? Do you just rub them across the pan?

Bill, I would be interested in the pictures also.

Steve Landis wrote:

Yes, just rub the grapes off the stems, through the holes and discard the stems. Keep the palm of your hand flat so you don't rub your knuckles off. Some folks use a plastic milk crate

Steve