🍷 Crushing

Crushing is the gentle breaking of berries to release the juice. It is one of the first steps of winemaking after harvest. The berries are not turned to mush; the skins are merely split so the juice starts to flow.

Before crushing the grapes are usually sorted on a sorting table to remove anything unwanted. Often destemming is done at the same time, that is, separating the berries from the stems, the green branches of the bunch, so the wine does not get extra bitterness. The result is a mass of juice, skins and seeds. The juice is called must, and wine is later made from it. For red wines it all ferments together to draw out colour and tannin. For whites the must is pressed at once.

In the past grapes were trodden by foot in stone tubs, and in some places, for example Portugal, this is still done. Now rollers or mechanical crushers are more often used. Sometimes for special wines crushing is skipped and the whole bunch is pressed. The juice is then more delicate.