How to choose equipment for home winemaking
How to choose equipment for home winemaking
The most important element in winemaking is grapes; indeed, without them it is impossible to make wine. So, winemaking equipment is naturally a secondary concern. However, this article will discuss the main types suitable for home use.
Crushing and destemming is one of the first operations that grapes undergo. A crusher-destemmer is perfect for this task. This machine uses two rotating rollers to crush the berries, whereas destemming occurs when the bunches enter the perforated cylinder. Here the berries are beaten off the stems by rotating blades and then fall through the cylinder’s perforations, while the stem passes along it and is then discarded. If necessary, you can perform just one of the two operations on the crusher-separator. In this case, you should simply move the rollers apart from each other or remove the perforated cylinder. If you never plan to destem, then a crusher will be sufficient. Of course, crushing and destemming can also be done manually or with improvised equipment, but this will take much longer and may have a negative effect on wine quality.
Crusher-destemmers can be manual or electric and have different capacities. When choosing a model, consider your needs and capabilities first. In my experience, selecting an electric one should be a priority. Not only does it save time and effort, it is also difficult to achieve uniform, high-quality destemming with manual models. I would also choose a model with a stainless steel hopper because painted iron hoppers will lose their paint over time due to the aggressive environment, and sourcing and purchasing a small volume of food-grade paint for equipment can be difficult. This also applies to any other parts of the crusher-destemmer that come into contact with the grapes.
Vats are crucial. They come in varying sizes and materials and are used for different purposes. The size and number you require depends, firstly, on your production volume and, secondly, on the kind of grapes you are going to process. For example, a capacity of 600-700 litres is sufficient to process 1 ton of white grapes, while you will require a capacity of 1100-1200 litres to process the same amount of black grapes. Bear in mind that you will also need to keep some tanks free. The number of vats you require will also be determined by how many grape varieties you have, as each variety will need to be processed in a separate vat. Vats can be made of various materials; however, they must, of course, be safe for human health.
Vats made from neutral materials are usually used at the beginning of the winemaking process, the most popular for small-scale winemaking being stainless steel, glass and plastic. If you are only processing small volumes of grapes, for example up to 200 kg, glass vats are the most readily available. However, they have one clear drawback — fragility. Plastic containers are also quite commonly used, but bear in mind that the plastic must be food grade. Moreover, I would not recommend storing wine in such vats for a long time as plastic notes may taint its aromas. If you process a large enough volume of grapes every year, then you should consider stainless steel vats, as they are more practical and easier to manufacture and wash. Vats with a floating lid are especially convenient, allowing you to store wine without contact with oxygen, even in a vat that is not completely full. Wooden barrels are usually used during maturation to improve the wine’s organoleptic properties.
Pressing is an important stage, which not only affects the yield of the liquid fraction from 1 kg of grapes, but also the organoleptic characteristics of your future wine. The best solution for home winemaking is the basket press, which functions as follows: it is a basket affixed to a metal base, grapes or pulp are loaded into it, and then physical pressure on the grape mass causes a liquid fraction to be released through the perforations in the basket. There are some key differences between these presses:
- in the volume of the basket — the larger the basket, the more productive it is.
- in the type of action — the press can be manual or electric, while there are also hydraulic presses which are operated by water pressure.
- in the material of the basket — wooden or metal.
The ranges of presses available enables you to select a model that best meets your needs. As with the crusher and de-stemmer, I would recommend that you choose a press with a stainless steel base and basket.
The next important piece of equipment is the filter. This is more relevant in the production of white wines, where visual purity and clarity are important. A filter press is a good choice in this case. It consists of a pump and plates installed one behind the other with special channels on the surface. Before you begin, filter pads, which serve as filter elements, should be clamped between these plates. Then, unfiltered wine is pumped into these channels and the pressure forces it through the filter pads. Suspended particles are blocked by the filter pads, while the filtered wine is discharged through the channels of the adjacent plate. The performance of such a filter depends on the size of the plates and their number.
In addition to what has already been discussed, the following equipment will also save you time and effort:
- a pump if you have significant volumes of wine — note that it must be intended for use in food production.
- various devices for pouring wine if you are filling wine into glass bottles — these can be both manual and semi-automatic devices.
- a corking machine if you are filling wine into glass bottles — a manual corking machine will suffice if you have small volumes.
All the equipment presented is quite easy to use and does not require any special maintenance or care. You can buy it in specialist stores, which are easy to find on the Internet, for example, by searching on «Equipment for home winemaking».
KIRILL BARDAKOV, Cote Rocheuse JSC Chief Winemaker