I just finished crushing 432lbs of Cab Sauv from Mayers Cider Mill (Cali). I had been trying to obtain Cab Franc (heard someone was selling at 900$/ton but only for 15 ton lots) so I settled.
I used the egg crate method (thanks whomever suggested it) and we got to about 12 mins/ lug, or about 3lb/minute. Destemming is a total PITA... I ended up crushing (Stems and all) 1/2 the batch to do a comparison. The crusher is inadequate and I will have to build a new one. The wine press has to be totally rebuilt- I'm learning that a winery operation is very expensive business!
5.4 g of KMS in approximately 24 gallons of juice to sanitize and then tommorow morning a little dose of yeasties. Pectic enzyme (whatever was left over) to try and extract some more colour and flavour from the skins.My crusher is manually operated- I have a flywheel for it but didn't have time to build the jig to hold it. Next year, it WILL be running- if I have to disassemble a bike frame to make it fit and run. I'm starting to understand that a small crusher/destemmer, at 800$, could very well be worth the investment.
All in all a woderful experience- I have a much better *not yet complete* understanding of the steps. My red juice was already turning brown by the time I hit it with the sulfite, so I'm hoping not to be too damaged.
Question(s): Does one filter (say, 30 micron for big chunks) juice after pressing? Can you run MLF on skins? How do oak chips (Added at crush) influence?
With that, I'll finish my Noveau Merlot and call it a night. Where's the ibuprofen...
Jason