Whole Cluster Pressing for the Finest Chardonnay with Winemaker Fred Scherrer
Making Chardonnay with Fred Scherrer of the Scherrer Winery: Fred shares his process for whole cluster pressing Chardonnay grapes. From weighing the grapes to gently pressing them, Fred demonstrates how he squeezes out the best, finest, and highest acidity juice. Inspired by the techniques of sparkling wine and champagne makers, this method of whole cluster pressing is sure to result in amazing concentration and intensity in the wines. Watch now to learn more about this unique winemaking process from one of the industry's top experts.
Watch our full series with Fred and Ed Scherrer of the Scherrer Winery on Ask a Winemaker. • Fred Scherrer, The Scherrer Winery, Sebast...
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Well, we began harvest so we harvested
Chardonnay for my family's vineyard and
we brought it into the winery and whole
cluster pressed it. Yeah, so we weigh the
grape so we know what we're starting
with and we know what to pay for, and we
basically find a way to gently get them
into the presses. The presses are
essentially a big slotted screen a
cylindrical screen on its side with a
big rubber tube inside. We put the grapes
in there close it up and then we use
that that bag to put some a little bit
of pressure on them and roll berries off
of stems. Then the nice easy juice comes
out which is the very best stuff. Then we rinse
and repeat, deflate the bag, rotate it
around to redistribute the clusters and
get some more of the berries to roll off
of the stems, and it takes very little
pressure to get this so we get all of
the really best juice which is the the
finest stuff. Sparkling wine makers,
champagne makers, that that's how they go
about pressing so we kind of lifted one
of their tricks. Stealing all the best
stuff first rather than crushing, pumping
and macerating things we're just kind of
squeezing the best, finest, highest
acidity juice.