We have been busy receiving your Chilean and South African grapes and juices! Currently we have a good amount of Chilean juices and grapes in stock. Our South African juices should be here by the end of this week. Have you put in your pre-order yet? I want to remind you that all of our Fresco Juices are pre-order only and the Fresco orders must be received by THIS FRIDAY May 5^th.
Still available for sale!

2023 Chilean Grape Offerings:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah.

Chilean Juice Offerings:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat.

Chilean Fresco Juice Offerings (Fresco orders must be received by THIS FRIDAY May 5^th.):

Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Chardonnay/Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier.

South African Fresco Juice Offerings (Fresco orders must be received by THIS FRIDAY May 5^th.):

Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinotage

Australian Fresco Juice Offerings (Fresco orders must be received by THIS FRIDAY May 5^th.):

Orange Muscat, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Petite Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Any questions please contact us at – 877-812-1137, or email us at sales@juicegrape.com

As always we suggest setting up a pick day/time with us in order to have your order ready to go as soon as possible. And don’t forget we also do fermentation protocols if needed 😊

Looking forward to seeing you at pick up!

Sincerely,

The Musto Crush Crew
877-812-1137
sales@juicegrape.com
101 Reserve Rd
Hartford, CT 06114

How can you tell if you have a stuck fermentation?

• Your wine is stuck at 2-5 Brix for more than a few days
• Your wine tastes very sweet

What causes a stuck fermentation?

• High sugar levels – 26+ Brix
• High fermentation temperatures
• Low nutrient levels
• Must not punched down or mixed during fermentation
• Inncorrect yeast strain

So.. how can you avoid it? 

• If you have high Brix you can water back your must
• You can ice down your must with dry ice or frozen water jugs
• Add the correct amount of nutrients during fermentation
• Punch down and mix must reguarly
• Research and add the appropriate yeast

Not using yeast? Doing a native ferment? Here are some tips to avoid a stuck fermentation

• Keep cellar CLEAN – the cleaner the cellar the less bacteria has the opportunity to flourish and kill your batch
• Check your Brix and make sure they are manageable, if high, water back
• Keep track of your fermentation temperatures
• Keep the temperature in your winemaking cellar as constant as possible

A stuck fermentation can be painful. We highly suggest you take the neccessary steps to avoid it!

Need to fix your stuck fermentation? Check out our video on WinemakingInstructions.com and this Fixing a Stuck Fermentation Blog Post.

For exact measurements and instructions, follow the directions on the manufacturer’s packaging, contact a winemaker at Musto Wine Grape Company for assistance, or download our Full Class offering at WinemakingInstructions.com.

We’re here to help when you need it

As stated above, Musto Wine Grape offers a variety of products as well as services including testing and support. Email winemaker@juicegrape.com or call (877) 812 – 1137 to speak with someone who can assist you.

Stainless Steel Electric Crusher Destemmer

This crusher destemmer is motorized, with a stainless steel hopper and body. It has an hourly production rate of 1,500kg (about 3,330lbs). Its electric motor is 100volts/1hp, and it’s dimensions are 100 x 550 x 580h mm. The hopper dimensions are 900 x 460 mm and it has a removable protection box. This piece of equipment is a great investment for a winemaker who has plans to crush and destem an average of 50 or more lugs of grapes. With proper cleaning and storage, this machine will last a winemaking lifetime! We also carry the matching stand for our crusher destemmers, in both painted and stainless steel.

If the stainless steel crusher destemmer is a bit out of your winemaking budget, we carry one nearly identical but that is painted:

Electric Crusher Destemmer with Painted Hopper and Body

All the specs are identical to the stainless steel crusher destemmer except for the fact that this one is painted steel. The downfall of this machine is that it is susceptible to corrosion if not cleaned and stored properly. With proper cleaning and storage, it will surely last you many years. If you’re looking for something in the middle, we have that too!

Electric Crusher Destemmer with Stainless Steel Hopper and Painted Body

If you’re looking for a slightly more budget-friendly crusher destemmer with that boost of corrosion protection, this stainless steel hopper, painted body crusher destemmer is perfect. Once again you’ve got identical specs to our other options above, without having to compromise too much on either advantage of corrosion protection or budget.

If you are a home winemaker with less than 50 lugs of grapes on average and a smaller equipment budget, we also carry manual grape crushers and crusher destemmers. They come in the same options as our electric crusher destemmers including fully stainless steel, fully painted, or stainless steel hopper/painted body.

Stainless Steel Manual Crusher Destemmer

The Grifo hand powered crusher destemmer has a hopper size of 900 x 500 mm, and the Aluminum rollers are 220 mm. The hourly production rate is about 700-800kg (1500-1750lbs) and is a great option for a winemaker processing up to about 50 lugs of grapes and is looking for corrosion protection.

Painted and Stainless/Painted Manual Crusher Destemmer

With the same specs as the stainless steel but more wallet friendly, the painted and stainless manual crusher destemmer is a great option.

With lots of options to choose from, Musto Wine Grape has your winemaking needs taken care of.

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

1. Plan out your batch
   1. What kind of wine do you want to make?
   2. Review your ferementation notes from previous seasons
   3. Taste wines from Chile and South Africa for inspiration
2. Review how to adjust your must
   1. Adjusting your Brix, TA, and pH
   2. Take an online class if need a referesher
3. If making wine from juice, decide on Fresco vs. Non Fresco Juices
4. Decide on the type of yeast you want to use
   1. For Chilean grapes we always suggest using the CSM yeast
   2. For Pinotage grapes we suggest using D254 yeast
5. PRE ORDER
   1. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 or email us at sales@juicegrape.com
6. Think about the temperatures in your cellar
   1. Do you need extra heat?
   2. Do you need AC?
7. Keep an eye on the Harvest Tracker for updates on the Spring Harvest
   1. Harvest Tracker

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

Yeast Suggestion: CSM yeast

Oak Suggestion: French oak barrels or chips

Wine Flavor Profile: Bold, medium tannins, blackberry, plum, wild berry, leather, smoke, chocolate, and oak

How to Make Syrah Wine from Chilean Wine Grapes:

1. Crush Syrah grapes into a sanitized bin or tub. (Each 18lb crate will make 1.25 gals of finished wine).
2. Apply 50ppm of Potassium Metabisulfite and stir well. Allow to sit for 8-12 hours.
3. Apply .5ml of Color Pro Pectic enzyme per box diluted into a 10% solution with water to the must and stir. Allow to sit for another 8-12 hours.
4. Mix Booster Rouge, FT Rouge, and Opti-Red, with spring water until it is the consistency of pancake batter and pour over top of crushed grapes. Mix in well.
5. Add rehydrate CSM yeast (1g/gal) with Go Ferm rehydration nutrient and warm water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and pour over top of crushed grapes.
6. Punch down grapes 3 times per day throughout the duration of fermentation and monitor temperature and Brix levels daily. Use a hydrometer to test sugar content in a strained juice sample. Make sure the temperature does not exceed 85F.
7. One day after adding the yeast, add Fermaid O, mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into grapes during a punch down.
8. After the depletion of 1/3 of the Brix (when the Brix level is between 16-11), add Fermaid O that is mixed with spring water into the pancake batter style slurry. Dump into to grapes at a punch down.
9. Add Malo-lactic bacteria the same day as the Fermaid K. If you are using liquid cultures, just pour over the grape must and mix. If you use the dry cultures, rehydrate them in warm spring water according to their specific directions, utilizing any rehydration nutrients recommended.
10. When the Brix have dropped below zero, press the wine into a sanitized tank, carboy, or demijohn. Make sure the vessel is topped up all the way to the top of the neck and sealed properly with a bung and airlock.
11. Rack after 48 hours and then again in a week. Allow MLF to complete before adding sulfites.
12. Allow the wine to age and rack it every 2 months and add sulfites when racking.
13. Add oak infusion after 2^nd or 3^rd racking. Taste test along the way until the oak profile is where you want it to be.

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

Our California grapes are starting to go through bud break.

Here is a nice view of our Cry Baby Thompson Seedless and Grenache grapes “waking up” 

What is Bud Break?

Bud break is the start of the grape vine’s annual cycle. It is a relaxing time in the vine’s life as long as they don’t experience any intense weather occurrences, such as frost. Frost can kill the buds or delay their growth.

Check out what Bud Break looks like in Chile! (link)

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.

This is a discussion we have with customers constantly. Cleaning your equipment means that you have removed all of the visible dirt and residue on your equipment. Sanitizing means you have treated your equipment with a chemical solution that will eliminate, or prevent the growth of spoilage organisms. You MUST clean your equipment before sanitizing the equipment, since you cannot properly sanitize equipment with visible residue on it.

Below is a video from our online classes – WinemakingInstructions.com that talks about and shows you step by step how to clean and sanitize your equipment.

Interested in making your own wine? Musto Wine Grape Company is here to help! Musto’s New England’s largest supplier for home winemaking products and services. Visit juicegrape.com or give us a call at (877) 812 – 1137 to learn more.