Gearing up for Crush – Fall of 2020

There are a few really big workdays coming up in the next two weeks.  This overview describes what happens during crush and defines positions or tasks for each team.  Sticking to the process and assignments will help with social distancing during crush. 

Pre-Crush

In the days leading up to crush, the equipment is cleaned and stacked, the grapes are delivered and moved into the garage. The plastic wrapping is then removed from the cases so the grapes can warm up before crush. 

Crush

Crush day is considered the “big day!”  It is the day we crush the grapes and prepare the “must” for fermentation.  I once read, making wine is mostly cleaning … and it is!  Crush day is definitely a day for old clothes so the crush crew should be prepared for grape stains and wet feet.

I‘ve broken the crush crew down into “positions” to better define what will happen during crush.  These positions are:  Vintage Controller, Grape Loaders, the Sorting Team, the Crusher-Destemmer Operator, and the Sticks-Stems-and-Fallen-Grape-Handler.

The Vintage Controller works with the Grape Loaders to make sure the right grapes are sent to the sorters for the vintage being crushed.  The Grape Loaders take the grapes to the Sorting Team and, when the Sorting Team is finished going through grapes for foreign objects or mold, the Grape Loaders take the grapes and dump them into the crusher.  It is important to understand that NO BODY PARTS go inside the crusher.  After the crate is emptied, the Grape Loader breaks it down and puts in a pile for recycling.  The Grape Loaders need to make sure the sorters have grapes in front of them and do not leave the crusher empty.  This keeps the day running smoothly. 

The crusher-destemmer machine crushes the grapes and spits the stems out into a box or wheelbarrow so that they don’t go into the must -- the crushed grape mixture in the fermenter.  Sometimes stems get stuck in the shoot, which is the part of the crusher-destemmer that serves as the exit for the stems.  The Sticks-Stems-and-Fallen-Grape-Handler uses a stick to loosen any stems which clop this shoot. 

As we complete one tub and move to the next, the sorting table may need to be moved to accommodate space for the next fermentation tub.  While the Grape Loaders help move the sorting table, the sorters and the Sticks-Stems-and-Fallen-Grape-Handler take a quick sweep through to remove debris from the floors and to empty the wheelbarrow of stems either in the trash or in the woods. 

In wrap up of the day, all teams work together to clean and put away the sorting table and the crusher-stemmer.  Wine, food, beer, and water will be served throughout the day. 

During Crush

The following is a grid of grapes which will be crushed.  We are crushing a total of 12 barrels, nine 59-gallon barrels, two 30-gallon barrels, and one variable-depth stainless steel fermenter. 

Fermentation

This does not take a crew, but the wine takes two weeks to ferment.  When fermentation is complete, we will gather again to press the skins and pump the wine into the barrels.  I will always accept help for punch down and if anyone wants to learn the process this is the best time to do so. 

Press

The press is a 40 liter water press.  The press crew will help pump “free run” juice into the barrels from the fermenter.  Once the free run is pumped out, two people scoop out the top layer of skins and put them in the press.  The water is turned on and the skins are pressed.  The juice from the pressings is pumped into a barrel or carboy and the skins, seeds and stems, remaining in the tub are dumped onto the gator and into the woods. The hardest part about press is to keep moving until all is cleaned up.  Even though the pump does the work of moving the wine, it is a heavy workday. 

During Press