Crush white grapes or not?

RobertRGeorge said:

I got 25 pounds of mixed reisling and chardonnay grapes from my friend today. We live in BC so I expect to chaptalize and ameliorate them into proper Brix and acid.

My question is, would it be better to crush and soak them on the skins for a while and if so how long, or just press them as whole bunches?

Thanks for your thoughts!

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RobertRGeorge said:

Thanks for the points. I read also that chardonnay is very mild and can benefit from some time on the skins. I used my hands to mush them, then pressed them, then removed about 2/3 of the stems, put the juice and skins in a bucket, added 1/8 tsp meta, covered the mush with tin foil, put the lid on the bucket and put the bucket in the refrigerator. I'll press them early Monday.

Speaking of mashing by feet, I have read that studies of Italian wine showed that wine made with grapes crushed by people with athlete's foot is noticeably superior. Gives new meaning to "terroir" I guess.

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