Testing a Milk Crate Crusher Destemmer. How Fast Is It?

[@WPINJ]

I always enjoy your videos. Keep 'em coming. The milk crate method is the only one we use in my family. My familiy of six (3 adults and 3 kids) go through 325 lbs in about 60 mins, but it's some of the best family time you can create. Everyone feels invested in the process and the outcome.

[@rodfrey]

Thanks for the great info you provide! Apologies for the meta comment, but I'm personally really happy you chose to go back to a straight narrative style without the "meme" type insertions. Personal preference obviously, and I 100% support experimentation with your video style - but put up one vote for just you talking about winemaking. I thought I'd stamped out the desire to make wine from grapes (I usually get fresh juice + buckets of skins) because of the cost of the destemmer. So much for that! If you're taking requests for content I'd love to hear about how you source grapes. I live in the Canadian prairies, and while I could drive to BC to get grapes, I haven't figured out how to buy small quantities. Sounds like it's possible to get them even from another continent!

[@jakehenrion5255]

I agree with this. This channel is why we started wine making since your videos were straight information being forced into our brains. Big fan of the narrative style videos just like the old ones.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Thank you!! Yeah it is tricky to figure out exactly what people want. I'm glad this style resonated, because some of those heavily edited videos just take an insane amount of hours to put together.

[@pancakerizer]

​@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel I personally think you added a bit too many stock clips. A few can be good, though, so it's a hard balance

[@LisaButz]

Thanks for the helpful info! Love your videos and appreciate you taking time to do this! I’m your neighbor out here in Latrobe, PA growing Merlot. I’ve learned a lot from your channel.

[@chrissewell1608]

While making a small batch of wine, years ago, I used a electric fruit juicer. It busted up everything, and spit out the juice and the pulp. I bagged the pulp, and used it with the primary fermentation. It worked very well for a 1 gallon batch.

[@paulpowell9579]

Great and simple, like most of the best ideas.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Thanks! It really works great. With a couple people you can get through hundreds of pounds with this method. Before I had a crusher Destemmer we would use two people and two milk crates and get through five or six hundred lbs without wearing ourselves out too bad.

[@joshmlp]

I just got my grapes from chili yesterday! The crates I had looked the same as yours too! It’s my first wine and I got a Cabernet Sauvignon. I tried using a crate but for what ever reason I feel like it took me a lot longer than it took you… nice video! Cheers

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I was honestly very surprised when I looked at the clock. I would have guessed it took longer if I weren't timing it. I had set aside a couple hours to destem.

[@effjay8010]

Been using a sanitized milk crate upside down over a 6 gallon bucket to destem for years. Works great, grapes right into bucket ready to mash. Is there a better way to spend a fall afternoon?

[@jgar538]

Great hack experiment. I was not expecting it to go so fast. Cheerz.

[@nesertema4583]

nice hack! for red grapes I use a wire mesh (normally intended for soil sieving) placed underneath an old crusher. it is surprisingly fast if one can have a helper. 1 pair of hands is feeding the crusher, the other pair is destemming. I usually do like 300-400kgs.

[@pietwagenaar229]

For pressing you could consider to use a laundry centrifuge, put the grapes in a (not too) fine net. Only a few kilo'' s at once but it is very fast. Drilling the existing holes in the centrifuge basket to a bigger diameter also helps plus making some modifications to easily clean the centrifuge after use.

[@doityourselflivinggardenin7986]

I use a spackling mixer to bust up the grapes afterward. Takes only seconds. I built a base for my press that is angled downward so the juice runs out better. It has a 2x4 frame with 3/4" plywood in top. I made the base longer so I could stand on it while screwing down the press. This makes it very stable With that being said, this year I will be purchasing a bladder press. I ferment, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, and berries. My little hand press is too small and inefficient for that amount of pressing. I like your milk crate hack! I see two in my future.

[@adrianfrr310]

Hi, love your content! I was wondering, have you had to take any precautions in the vineyard for the periodical (14 or 17 year I think) cicadas? I have some new vines, and I have put them in growing tubes and covered the top with tree netting.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I haven't had any issues with cicadas. We had a big hatch a few years ago and they didn't seem to bother the vines. Once in a while one would get under the bird netting and make a racket.

[@jimdent351]

How did you know that I was researching crusher/destemmers today?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Talk about good timing!!

[@chrissewell1608]

His Spidey senses were tingling! 🥴

[@sergebochnovich9037]

How necessary is it to remove stems in the first place? Do you find that it matters more for some varietals than others? I'm wondering what kinds of "off" flavors result. Thanks!

[@xdram]

for a pressing hack I tried using a bag similar to brew-in-a-bag when making beer. to be honest it didn't work well. I was doing about a 2 gallon batches at a time, it gets messy, bag is pretty heavy when filled, difficult to press all the juice out because of clogging. I gave up on that and ended up getting a wine press last season.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

It is hard to beat a wine press! It is a shame that they are getting so expensive.

[@robertfontaine3650]

On the other side a wine press makes a fine press for a grain in mash.

[@chrissewell1608]

You should put your GoPro camera inside the milk crate, facing up. For that falling grape shot!

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Yes, I could test the water resistance to see if it is all it claims to be!

[@patrickmiele2086]

Question, did you have to further macerate the grapes? I'm thinking of using this method come September - October time frame.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I did not need to further pop the berries if that is what you are asking. I did ferment on the skins (maceration) for about 20 days if that is what you are asking. I always ferment red wines with the skins and seeds.

[@Jack-It-UP]

Rub a dub dub my berries in the tub. Thanks for the video.

[@chrissewell1608]

Can you add an electric motor, to your old fashioned, wooden, crusher and de-stemmer? A gear or belt driven motor would automate the process, for large batches.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Yes, it is a more modern steel crusher Destemmer and has a spot to mount a motor if you wanted. You would need a set of pulleys similar to the sizes you would get on a cement mixer. It is pretty quick to crank though. We have done 2000lbs with it and it wasn't too bad with a few people taking turns. The old wooden ones are generally just crushers and don't have the auger/paddles to separate the berries from the stems.

[@amonducius]

Where did you order them from and about how much per pound?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I got them from CFP winemakers in Pittsburgh at about a dollar eighty per pound. If you are near a larger urban area you may find some of the produce warehouses will bring them in and work with local brew shops or wineries.

[@ThomasBerglund-y8f]

[@chrissewell1608]

I would say there really isn't any tricks to pressing fruit, because the manual wine press design, really hasn't changed much in 200 years. You could try and electric driven screw? Or a hydrolic press?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Yeah it is hard to beat a basket press. A bladder press is great also, but they generally cost quite a bit more. On those presses, a rubber bladder is pressurized with air or water pressure, up the center of the press. It expands and squeezes the grapes up against a perforated metal cylinder.

[@brianprince3110]

How do you order grapes from Chili?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I work with CFP Winemakers in Pittsburgh, and they have them shipped in. You could check with any large produce warehouses in your area and see if they can source them. You can also see if Delta Packing out of Lodi will source from Chile. In that case you would probably want to order at a minimum a few hundred pounds, because you will be on the hook for the freight charge.

[@glleon80517]

For small batches I use a plastic bucket with holes in the bottom suspended inside another bucket. Line the “holy” bucket with a brewing bag, load the grapes in, close the bag, and press down on the bag with anything at hand, including a punch down tool. You will have to drain out the press juice from the bottom bucket when the liquid level gets too high, or fit the outer bucket with a drain valve. You will not get a dry press cake but you will get a lot of press juice. The resulting pomace can be made into grappa or a “second wine” with added sugar and water.

[@vinniedangelo969]

Get a bladder press rather than those ratchet presses. The bladder presses do a much better job