Download print friendly version
Note: This manual applies to use of both our Italian and German made bladder presses. While there are slight physical differences between the two model series, the operation of both is nearly identical.
Setting-up the Press:
-
Attach garden hose to water inlet. In order to make this step as easy as possible MoreWine! provides an adaptor assembly allowing you to connect your garden hose directly to the press without having to purchase extra hardware parts. Depending on your model, this adaptor assembly may or not may not be assembled in place prior to shipment. If you have purchased a bladder press from another supplier we do sell this assembly separately.
-
We recommend that you sanitize the press prior to use. Wet the basket, bladder, collection tray, inner mesh bag, and outer plastic bag with your favorite sanitizer. We recommend using Star San, a clear no-rinse sanitizer with a 1-2 minute contact time.
-
The mesh bag (green or white depending on brand) that comes with every bladder press is designed to be placed inside the stainless basket. Fold the mesh bag over the top of the stainless basket to hold in place. This mesh bag helps with the press and makes cleaning out the pomace (pressed grapes) much easier.
Filling the Press:
-
Fill up the stainless basket with must. You can use a bucket or a must pump. We suggest you fill the basket to the very top and then allow a little time for setlling once the basket is full. Top up once or twice with must after settling occurs.
-
Place the lid onto the top of the press, (it should settle down snugly into the top of the press with a satisfying “thunk”). Screw down the large threaded wing nut (made from molded black plastic on the Italian models and stainless steel and brass on the Speidel models.)
-
Put the plastic or rubber mesh spatter-protector over the outside of the press so that it covers the entire perforated area of the press. This bag keeps wine from being sprayed out during the pressing cycle.
Pressing:
-
At the top of the bladder press is a small screw valve. You must unscrew it (counter-clock wise) before you fill the bladder. This opens the valve and allows the air to escape while the bladder fills with water.
-
Open the valve on the “input” side of the manifold (the side attached to the garden hose). Water will now begin to flow into the bladder. You should hear a hissing from the top of the press where the air is escaping from the small screw-valve. When water begins to spurt out of the screw valve, signaling all the air has been purged from the bladder, close by tightening clockwise.
-
The best way to determine the end point of when to stop pressing is by taste. With a little practice and an overall idea of what you are trying to achieve with your wine you can determine when to stop pressing. With red wines, you can generally taste the wine become more astrigent as higher levels of tannins are pulled from the skins. Some wines need to be pressed a little more than others. Sometimes towards the end of pressing we taste a good amount of complexity and fruit that we like. It really depends on your wine and your tastes. However to give you some initial guidelines we can tell you that most commercial wineries will press from 1.5 to 2 bar (14 to 28 p.s.i.) We generally press to around 2 bar, give or take.
-
There is an automatic blow-off on all models that will not allow the pressure in the bladder to be greater than 2.5 to 3 bar. This is an important safety feature to protect your bladder.
Emptying the Press:
-
When you reach the end point, turn off the water and disconnect the hose from the press. The bladder will be completely expanded inside the press and you will need to then let the water out so that it can deflate back to its starting size. This is done by opening both the output and the input valves to allow water to drain as quickly as possible from the bladder. If you will be continuing to use the press after the first load of must has been finished do not open the screw-valve at the top of the press, as this will only allow air into the bladder. We want the bladder to contract as much as possible so that you can fit more grapes/must in per load. Note: if you wish to recapture the water for a planter bed or other purpose you can use only the output valve with a hose attached.
-
Once the bladder has shrunken to an acceptable size, or the water has stopped draining out, turn both valves to the off position.
-
After the bladder is empty, unscrew the wing nut counterclockwise on top of the lid and remove. In all cases you will want to remove and rinse off the inner mesh bag. We suggest hanging it with clamps and rinsing with a highpressure hose nozzle. To learn how to handle the stainless basket, note the size of your press, and read the applicable option below.
-
40L to 90L models: Release stainless clips that hold the basket to the basin. Remove basket and mesh bag. Clean, and replace.
-
160L to 300L Rotating models: Rotate the basket and slide out the mesh bag. It is your option to remove the stainless basket or to clean it in place. If you clean in place, remove as much skins and seeds as possible, but there is no need to spend the time to clean it to ‘perfect’, as a few skins in the next press will not affect the flavor.
Repeat the Process!
For more questions please see the product descriptions online which have additional information related to your exact model. This manual is also available as a download from the link at the top of this article.
If you have questions not answered by the information online, please reach us at (800) 823-0010.
.png)
.png)
(1).png)
.png)
