We are not going to be squishing the grapes with our feet : ) Not today....
Here the grapes are shown in their new plastic bins, normally always shipped in wooden crates...
They are put through a grinding machine by two people feeding the machine where the grapes are stripped from the stems while three people pull out the largest of the stems and any leaves that made it by the people feeding the machine.
The reds are still delivered in the wooden crates...We used two different kinds of red California grapes. There were around 82 cases between all three different types of grapes.
The squisher...or grinder...(I like squisher)
A holding tank...one of two (er, three actually)...
The wooden holding box for the green grapes...I got a shot while everyone was taking a break...
Fun was had by all this day, as it was my first time participating in such a popular event, everything was brand new to me. I cannot say yet that I know anything about making wine but can say I know how to squish a grape. Our new friends who were kind enough to invite us to join them have been doing this for years and will be pressing the grapes when they are ready. The rest of the process may very well be top secret, I'm not sure : ) But I must send out many thanks to them for a great day...we enjoyed lovely fresh ground coffee to start the day with my just baked that morning Blueberry muffins, a hearty and delicious lunch with afternoon snacks and a fun chicken fried dinner... not to mention the wine we consumed throughout the process. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
A nice cluster of green grapes to snack on, yum! Good picking my new friend...
