1. Crusher / Destemmer Research Summary and Recommendations
Joe Sikora and Mark Emiley

2. Overall Process
Literature review for open source information on Crushers and Destemmers
Club crush profile evaluation
Requirements derivation
Broad model research
Detailed model research
Vendor interviews
User visits and interviews
Lots and lots of questions about details

3. Crusher Research
Crush quality is most desired attribute (per club survey)
Other important requirements:
No must pump
Robustness / reliability
Destemmer/Crushers (D/Cs) are the industry “state of the art” for crush quality
Difficult to find a D/C that is ideal fit for our purposes
Very expensive / large
Most have must exit very near ground
No ideal C/Ds either
Lack the quality features / robustness
Compromises are required

4. Key Parameters and Features – What are they?
Type: Crusher-Destemmer, Destemmer-Crusher, or Destemmer
Total Costs: includes stands/modifications and shipping
Gravity transfer of must: what is the exit ht of the must output? stand, leg extension, or mod reqd? special (shorter) collection bin?
Rated Throughput: lbs of grapes processed per hour (note: rated throughput is higher than actual throughput)
Roller material: aluminum, nylon, or rubber crushing rollers
Adjustable rollers?: whether gap between rollers can be adjusted
Spring loaded rollers?: whether roller gap is fixed or can widen by objects passing thru
Destem only?: Can the unit be configured to destem w/o crush?
Variable Speed?: Can the unit run at different/variable speeds?
Cage hole size: size of holes of destemming cage (in mm)
Rubber tipped paddles?: rubber tips on destemmer paddles?
Other considerations and concerns: especially those relating to robustness (e.g. materials), and ease of cleaning (e.g. disassembly/internal access) and use (e.g. portability)
This list encompasses a subset of the total information collected

5. Key Parameters and Features – What We’re Looking For & Why
Type: Destemmer-Crusher = best for crush/wine quality, less stems crushed, less harsh/bitter/green tannins from stems, smoother wine, more whole berries = more aromatics preserved
Total Costs: affordable, the right balance of quality/reqmts met vs. $
Gravity transfer of must: crush directly into 20G fermenter; if not – looking for the cheapest suitable alternative (to elevate unit or use shorter collection bin)
Rated Throughput: higher output (>2T/hr) = decreased time for large crushes
Roller material: rubber crushing rollers = most gentle on grapes, less crushing of seeds, stems, less shearing/damage of skins, less harsh/bitter tannins
Adjustable rollers?: yes = more gentle on grapes, less shearing/damage of skins, less harsh/bitter tannins, if roller gap is sized appropriately for berry
Spring loaded rollers?: yes = for gentle tx of grapes (more relevant to C/Ds to avoid crushing clumps of stems?) & to avoid damage (if passing rocks, etc.)
Destem only?: yes = desirable for certain types of winemaking; preserves aromatics (if part of fermentation is whole berry)
Variable Speed?: yes = slower speed allows for cleaner destemming
Cage hole size: smaller (<20mm) = better for most grapes** = less jacks
Rubber tipped paddles?: yes = more gentle on grapes …
Other considerations and concerns: less plastic in drive train = more robust; motor sized (hp) for load = longevity; Easy to open up / easy to hose out = cleanability; portability – how heavy is it or is it on rollers?
** 20mm would be better for a majority of grapes we crush (e.g. Cab), but may not work as well for some (e.g. Merlot)

6. Manufacturers and Models That We Looked At
Looked at every manufacturer with a model less than $10K
CMA (Lugana models)
Marchisio (Alpha, Europa models)
Della Toffola (NDC 8 model)
Enoitalia from St. Pats (Jolly and Eno series models)
Mori (many, incl E series C/D; R30/R40/R50 series D/Cs)
TEM (Gamma series)
Zambelli (Cantinetta, Beta C/Ds; Elle 80, Manta, Gamma, Zeta D/Cs)
OMAC/Velo from More Beer (WExxx series C/Ds and D/Cs)
Fratelli Baesso (“cheapo” unit available at Larry’s)
Plus some other “cheapo” units and units that are “knock-offs” of the models above by other manufacturers
Collected detailed data on all models less than $6K (and some above)

7. D/C Market D/Cs are the industry state of the art
Systems developed to provide best crush quality for big $ operations
Current D/C market – not geared towards smaller operations
Very few systems that are not extremely $$$
Currently, too many require must pumps
Brutal treatment to fruit
Complications with multiple users (must trapped in line), pain in butt to clean
Without pumps, units must be elevated – too high for normal use
Frequently designed to be used with forklifts or platforms
Or expensive custom stand/modification required
Lower $ units not built w/ usability in question (e.g. cleaning challenges)
For currently available units at our price point, compromises in quality and usability = poor value
Would require detailed knowledge of system to overcome usability issues
Would require an “expert” to be on hand for all crushes
Difficult to clean, potential sanitation issues
The lowest $ units also lack some of the quality features looking for
The lowest $ units require modifications to make work for us (“klugey”)

8. D/C Conclusions And the Research Sez …
A D/C is the right type of machine for us
Assuming we want the best crush quality
We buy the highest quality ($) grapes in the state …
But the “right” D/C does not (yet) exist in the marketplace
We do not recommend a D/C for the club at this time
Anticipate D/C designs will become more compatible with smaller operations like ours
The demand is out there – small wineries want what we want
Some vendors have input on machine “specs” to suppliers and are lobbying for what we want (and we can lobby them)
A report that one supplier has a prototype for a small no-must pump D/C
While prices may not come down, there may be more units with the “right” designs at the low end of the D/C market (<$6K)
Recommendations:
Dedicated savings plan and commitment (&continued market probing) to buy D/C within TBD (2-6?) years
Purchase a C/D in the meantime

9. Selection Process – Can be broken down into categories
Cat. 1: NO COMPROMISES D/C UNIT
top choice: MORI R30, $7100
compromises incl: none, other than cost
Cat. 2: BEST “VALUE D/C” UNIT
top choice: MoreBeer WE277, $4200
compromises incl: lg. cage size (25mm), not var spd, too large*?
Cat. 3: BEST “LARGE C/D” UNIT
top choice: ZAMBELLI BETA, $2070
compromises incl: not D/C, lg. cage holes (25mm), not spring-loaded
Cat. 4: BEST “SMALL C/D” UNIT
top choices: WE273, $1265
compromises incl: not D/C, medium cage holes (22mm)**, smaller throughput
In addition, we move to make Little Blue into a Destemmer-only

10. Options 3 and 4 (Crusher-Destemmers)
Name: Zambelli Beta
Est. Total Price: $2,070
Variable Speed: No
Average throughput: 8,000
Adjustable rollers?: Yes
Roller material: Rubber
Spring loaded rollers?: No
Destem only?: No
Cage hole size: mm
Rubber tipped paddles?: No
Power: 220V 1 P
Size: 51"x26"x52"
Motor Power: 1 HP
Warrantee 1 year
Special considerations: Good brand; Good report from Yabut, McNally
OMAC WE273
$1,265 No
3,500
Yes
Rubber
22 mm
120V 1 P
47"x19.6"x42.5"
1 HP
3 years
Possible to use with one person
Used in “rental” mode – possibly a good recommendation for our club’s use

11. Primary Questions for Comparing Beta and WE273
How important is throughput? (faster crushes)
Is it more important than advantages of WE273: - ~$800 less? - 3 year warranty? - slightly smaller cage hole size? - spring-loaded rollers?
OR is running more than one crusher an option to achieve higher throughput?
Process different berries at a crush simultaneously?
Two machines to clean?
Different settings for one delivery – less adjustment time?
Other considerations:
Maneuverability
120 V versus 220 V
Motor sizing (both 1hp motors for different throughputs)