Shiraz Republic Winemaking – pressing

Ten days after picking and crushing the grapes, it was time to crush them and put the juice into a demijohn for further fermentation.

The crushed grapes are poured into the press, which uses a ratchet mechanism to press all of the juice out.

The juice is collected into buckets, then poured into a demijohn for further fermenting. The demijohn is sealed with an airlock to keep out air and stop the wine from being turned into vinegar.

Once the juice has been pressed out a cake of skins and seeds is left behind. Shiraz Republic feed this to their sheep.

Old farm building and machinery at the winery.