Wine squash

The Syrah has finished it’s fermentation and was ready to be separated from the skins and pips today. The process went pretty smoothly, without too much major splashing. We began by running off the free-flowing wine. This can be very messy because the pressure is enormous when you open the tap on the cuve, and if there are some grapes stuck in the outlet they burst out with a massive force – covering you from head to toe. I have invented a snorkel made from a soda bottle which worked a treat. After that we hauled all the remaining skins and pips into buckets and put them through the basket press. This pressed wine is kept separately overnight to settle and see if it is up to scratch. If it is good, we’ll add it to the run-off wine. The final job is a massive clear-up. Only twice more to go.