"Dan Emerson" > wrote in message
om...
> I have just a few red wines under my belt (in more ways than one) and
> I have a question on pressing. I have heard that it is best to press
> when 'the cap falls'. What does this look like? I just pressed a
> cabernet where the cap was lethargic and did not rise very much during
> the day. But it was still up. Is is supposed to actually fall into
> the wine so you have no cap? At what point is there danger? When my
> last cabernet was 'lethargic', I was really nervous. I don't think I
> could have waited any longer. What does it look like and how do I
> protect the wine when it is necessary.
>
> Just a beginner wanting to make magnificant wine, I know I can now,
> but haven't yet.
>
> Dan

Dan,
I think pressing "when the cap falls" is a poor criteria. Of course, the
cap usually falls soon after the sugar is gone, but it is sometimes
difficult to estimate the state of the cap. Pressing "when the sugar is
nearly gone" seems like a better method because sugar can be easily
estimated with a hydrometer.
lum