I know winemakers like their tools but personally, I’m not a fan of the punch down tool. This is really only possible because my batch sizes are manageable and not dealing with macro bins galore so this technique isn’t exactly practical for everyone.

Basically, I prefer breaking up the cap and stirring the lees by hand er… arm. While breaking the cap, I’m scouring the skins for sticks, leaves, jacks and another other material other than grapes (MOG). Usually, I collect anywhere from 3-4 pounds of MOG per batch which is material not soaking in my juice or breaking down into off flavors. Using my hand helps break the cap up much finer while stirring up the lees from the bottom. It’s also far more gentle than a tool that could potentially break seeds.

Here’s a quick video of the process. It’s a little shaky and next time I’ll have someone hold the camera-phone for me… promise.