Wine from fresh juice

seanomac · 02-06-2010, 02:56 AM

My local brew shop is taking orders for fresh Chilean grape varieties and fresh juice. I'm considering the 6 gallon bucket of juice, but wondering what experience others have had with this method. It says the juice has been acid corrected and all that is needed is yeast. Should I go searching the in-law's basement for the press, or will the juice yield a comparable final product?

T-rags · 02-06-2010, 04:27 AM

I've just begun making wine, but so far the wine I've made from grapes seems a little more robust than the wine I've made from juice buckets. That said, the juice buckets are much less work and are really inexpensive, and I've liked the wine. These 6 gallon buckets run around $45 and at $1.50 a bottle for wine it's well worth trying, in my humble opinion.

CandleWineProject · 02-06-2010, 04:37 AM

There is a post on this very topic over on the WineMakingTalk.com, the sister website to this one. Maybe it can help you?

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5985

truckjohn · 02-06-2010, 09:00 PM

I would start with Grapes... 10,000 years of Wine making can't be all wrong...

Honestly, making wine from Grapes is pretty easy, and the product comes out pretty authentic. There are really only 2-steps where there is any difference... 1 is mushing them up in the bucket, and the other is straining them out before racking into the secondary.

I don't have a press.. so when I was ready to strain off the must, I just wrung it out by hand in little clumps like you would wring out a wash cloth.. It took me ~1/2 hour, but wasn't that bad.

Thanks

John

T-rags · 02-07-2010, 12:07 AM

I agree with TJ. I have a crusher and press and love the process. However, i also think getting a juice bucket is a nice easy way to take the first step and you can expand things from there.

Beeropolis · 02-07-2010, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckjohn

I would start with Grapes... 10,000 years of Wine making can't be all wrong...

Honestly, making wine from Grapes is pretty easy, and the product comes out pretty authentic. There are really only 2-steps where there is any difference... 1 is mushing them up in the bucket, and the other is straining them out before racking into the secondary.

I don't have a press.. so when I was ready to strain off the must, I just wrung it out by hand in little clumps like you would wring out a wash cloth.. It took me ~1/2 hour, but wasn't that bad.

Thanks

John

This is a total newb question. I've only just started making wine and have been taking baby steps. I would totally get whole grapes and do it that way but I was under the impression I needed a press to do this. How does one, efficiently, get the juice out of grapes without a press?

Pick · 02-17-2010, 12:46 PM

Quote:

How does one, efficiently, get the juice out of grapes without a press?

You don't.

Emerald · 02-18-2010, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeropolis

This is a total newb question. I've only just started making wine and have been taking baby steps. I would totally get whole grapes and do it that way but I was under the impression I needed a press to do this. How does one, efficiently, get the juice out of grapes without a press?

Well first you get yourself a nice clean wooden 1/2 barrel, next you get your best I love Lucy outfit on, tie a bandanna on, scrub those toes and footsys as clean as possible and start to stomping!

<------just copy the banana!

Drain thru clean cloth and your golden!