The Guide to Choosing the Best Destemmers and Crushers
Complete and Edited by the Real Experts in Oenological Equipment

Destemming and crushing machines are among the most essential tools for the preparation of wine, as they prepare the grapes for the following pressing.

Crushing is in fact an essential step in wine-making and one of the oldest ones too: it is only in recent decades that we have moved from pressing whole grape bunches with our feet in wooden barrels, to using machines that have different configurations according to the type of wine to be made.

This guide is supposed to help anyone, from the hobbyist to the professional, to choose the machine best suited to their needs according to the type of processing and quantity of the product.

    1. Winemaking

Both the destemmer and the crusher are machines used during the crushing process, but each has its own purpose: the destemmer breaks up the bunch by separating the grapes from the stems, while the crusher gently crushes the grapes to release the first part of the must. Since the winemaking process differs depending on the type of grapes, different processing may be required before pressing.

This is why there are different variants of the two machines: while the destemmer and the crusher each perform their own function, there are also crusher-destemmers that combine the two processes to achieve a better result.

To better understand, let us take the example of white wine and red wine processing:

• Black grape winemaking: this process involves several steps, and it is important to make a distinction between crushing and pressing, or squeezing. The grapes pass through the destemmer to separate the berries from the stems and, using a pump, the must and marc (skin and seeds) are moved to a vat to start the fermentation process through maceration. This way, the peels pass on colour and substances to the must, and only after several days will the pressing be carried out to remove the remaining must from the marc.

• White grape winemaking:this is a faster process than making red wine, as fermentation only takes place after pressing. Starting from the gentle crushing carried out with crusher-destemmers, the process moves directly to soft pressing to prevent the substances contained in the marc, or undesirable fermentation processes, from spoiling the final product.

    2. Structure

2.1. Destemmer

The destemmer has a horizontal frame consisting mainly of a tank into which the freshly harvested grapes are tipped, a rotor with paddles that separates the berries from the stems, and a sieve to sift the berries and from which the stems come out sideways.

1. Transmission (sturdier in professional models for long working sessions, belt or chain and belt drive)
2. Upper Tank or Hopper (container into which the bunches are poured: may be of different sizes; in enamelled or stainless steel; fixed or open for easy inspection, maintenance and cleaning)
3. Electric motor (induction, varying power if single or three-phase)
4. Helical drive auger (it pushes the bunches into the machine)
5. Sieve (stainless steel, sifts the berries, removing the stems at the end)
6. Vane rotor (enamelled or stainless steel, destems the grapes by pressing them onto the sieve)
7. Helical discharge auger (either enamelled or stainless steel, moves the grapes out of the tank)
8. Vane pump (with large Garolla coupling to facilitate the transfer of grapes, usually made of stainless steel)
9. Stem outlet

2.2. Crusher

The crusher also features a hopper into which the bunches are tipped, but these are immediately handled by the processing rollers and fall directly into the tank, with no need for a sieve.

1. Transmission (belt-driven)
2. Electric motor (induction)
3. Processing rollers (they perform the crushing, made of solid food-grade rubber or aluminium)
4. Vane rotor (enamelled or stainless steel, it pushes the grapes between the rollers)
5. Upper Tank or Hopper (enamelled or stainless steel, a container into which the grapes are tipped)

    3. Types

As previously explained, the destemmer and crusher have a similar general structure but also some basic differences in order for each to fulfil its own function. For this reason, and based on their configuration, they can be categorised into:

• Stretcher grape crushers
• Stretcher grape crusher destemmers
• Grape destemmers with pump

3.1. Stretcher grape crushers

The crusher is a simple machine used to gently crush the grape to extract part of the liquid. Crushing is carried out to prepare the grapes for the next stage of processing and must be done without tearing the peels, so as not to break the pips (seeds) and stems to avoid spoiling the flavour of the wine.

Stretcher crushers, since they are light and rather compact, are convenient to be placed directly on top of the container or vat where the grapes are to be placed.

Lastly, there are manual and electrically powered versions, in enamelled or stainless steel, to be chosen according to the amount of grapes to be handled.

3.2. Stretcher grape crusher destemmers

Stretcher destemmers are machines that perform both crushing and destemming. The helicoidal screw pushes the grape bunches into the crusher, which then move into the destemmer to separate the grapes from the stems. The grapes that are ready for the next step come out of the sieve below and end up directly in the vat, while the stems are expelled to the side.

These simple and compact machines are ideal for those with a small to medium wine production: in fact, they come in different sizes, optionally in enamelled or stainless steel and with:

• manual drive that conveys the rotary motion to the rollers via a circular drawbar with handle;
• electric induction drive, with a power output of 1 or 1.2 HP.

3.3. Grape destemmers with pump

Destemmers with pumps, which can be with or without crushing rollers, are the most complete and professional ones. Various configurations are available to cover the most extensive production requirements:

• different size and power
• enamelled or stainless steel
• electric with a single- or three-phase system.

The key difference compared to stretcher models is the solid, load-bearing structure, equipped with 2 or 4 wheels for easy handling. These destemmers feature a vane pump, with a Garolla coupling, to move the processed grapes to the vat where the must is to be fermented or straight into the press.

The professional models feature powerful, adjustable motors for immediate calibration of the drive, which is also able to process large amounts. This is possible thanks to the highest quality materials, such as stainless steel and Teflon, which guarantee durability and resistance.