🍷 Destemming

Destemming is separating berries from the little stalks, the stems, on which they grow in a bunch. A special machine, a destemmer, is used. It shakes the bunches, the berries fall off and pass into a tank, while the bare stems go aside.

Stems are not always unwanted. If left in the must, they give the wine green, bitter tannins and a herbal taste. So for many wines stems are removed to make the wine softer and cleaner. This is done more often for red wines, where controlling tannin matters.

Destemming usually goes together with crushing, when berries are lightly pressed so the juice runs. Some winemakers, on the contrary, ferment whole bunches, which gives the wine a special fresh style. Destemming is one of the first operations in winemaking after the harvest. The choice is made by the winemaker, based on the grape and the wanted style of the wine.