[Part 1 is here]. Over lunch yesterday it came up that some of the calvados I was tasting in Normandy was 40 years or older, the oldest specific vintage being a 1969 Dupont. That would be very unusual in the wine world, and highlighted one of the fantastic things about spirits vs. wine: shelf stability. Opening a bottle of 1969 … Read More
Normandy, Part 1: How They Do Things
I’m back. Not surprisingly, Normandy was quite the beautiful adventure. I was there to educate my palate, learn some methodology in cider and calvados production, and most importantly to glean from their centuries-old apple food culture. I live in a place of copious amounts of largely wasted urban apples, with a brand-newly emerging scene surrounding how to save them and … Read More
Apple Cider Vinegar, Day 1
One of the benefits of cider making [/winemaking] is the opportunity to produce high-quality, negligible cost and effort vinegar. The last batch of vinegar I made was apparently back in 2007, and I recall it being a painless process. Except for maybe the lingering smell. Now I have more space, so I can choose a more appropriate location for the … Read More
2009 Red Sparkle Apple Wine Update
I’m very behind with posting. Fortunately my computer overlooks my smoking setup, so that I can type away while keeping watch on the now-smoking-bacon from this fall’s pig butchering event. Trying to avoid last time’s mistake. I’ve been meaning to post about my apple wine, as it’s been a remarkable success. Phenomenal break through. It now seeming like a lifetime … Read More
The new, AWESOMER, plunger assembly.
As requested: the new plunger assembly. Notice the fine craftsmanship of the fir plate. Yes. Sarcasm. I was in a flap of excitement the day of crushing and pressing, and we were trying all kinds of quick things to see what would work best. That’s my excuse. I essentially chopped down and trimmed corners off a piece of 2×10 fir … Read More
Crush and Press Day – Part 2
CRUSHING What a breeze. How satisfying. Some comments on my setup. Overheating. The unit did not overheat and shut down. The metal casing certainly got hot, but the pace of crushing, then pressing, and all the other things involved – picking, meal breaks, moving carboys about, etc – seemed to give it enough time to cool down. I can see … Read More
Crush and Press Day – Part 1
Oh, how I am proud of the item in the photo. What we ended up calling a veggie burger. Or cheese. It is a very dry puck of apple pomace. The reason it’s an accomplishment is that it took a bloody long time to figure out that a) my press design had a major flaw and b) how to fix … Read More
Apple Harvest Day 2009
Apple Harvest day. A big deal in my little world as it means my first adventure in scratch wine/cidermaking begins now. We picked roughly 75kg of apples today of 4 varieties. Tomorrow we’ll pick from our tree hoping for an additional 40kg. For all those hitting my blog looking for crushing/pressing help, tomorrow will be a big day to find … Read More
How to Build a Serious Apple/Grape/Fruit Crusher on the Cheap
As with the last post, I felt compelled to share the following so that others may have an easier time sorting this out than I. I was an hour or two away from purchasing an old fashioned apple crusher. $350. Once again Herrick bailed me out, putting me on to a variety of different ways to use a standard-issue garbage … Read More
How to Build a Cider or Wine Press
I almost did it. I almost spent $350-500 on a juice press. It would last me a lifetime, and be an infrastructure-esque purchase worth the splurge. I needed to get geared up for making wine now that my grapes are here. One of my newest obsessions is making apple wine, cider vinegars, and other unmbentionable biproducts. More on that soon … Read More
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