Once the grapes have arrived from California, the important task of crushing the grapes to release the juice must now take place. The highest quality wines are made with the cleanest grapes (no leaves or stems).

Winemakers know that removing MOG (material other than grapes) allows them to make better wine. In a perfect world the fruit arrives at the crush pad in pristine condition, but we all know the best growing techniques cannot overcome what Mother Nature sends us: the non-uniform ripeness of the fruit, problems with stems or mold, not to mention insects and bird damage.

Sorting tables are used to manually get rid of harmful parts such as: spoiled grapes, unripe bunches, leaves, and other foreign bodies. The sorting tables are equipped with a speed variator and have been planned for easy and practical use.

The de-stemmer will remove most of the stems but it is most important to sort through the grapes before to take out stray leaves and stems and any non ripe grapes that may have been picked.

At Vintners Own we encourage clients to partake in this activity as it is fun and REAL hands on!