How To Make Grape Must

1. Rinse grapes and place them on clean tea towels or paper towels and allow to dry.
2. Separate grapes from the branches and place them in a very large mixing bowl or cooking pot. See note 1 below.
3. Using either your hands or a weight press the grapes to remove their juice. If you have a juicer you can use that instead.
4. Place a strainer over a bowl or cooking pot. Strain the grape juice to separate the skins from the juice.
5. Press and squeeze the skins a little bit more inside the strainer to remove any remnant juice and then discard them.

Without Ashes:

1. Add the grape juice (must) to a large cooking pot. Bring to a boil then turn heat to medium.
2. Skim all the foam and dirt from the surface. Then turn the heat off and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
3. Strain the grape must through a muslin cloth, passing it through 2 times.
4. Store in bottles or jars for 2 days in the fridge or place in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Using Ashes:

1. Add the grape juice (must) to a large cooking pot together with the ashes.
2. Bring to a boil then drop heat to medium and skim the surface until clear from all the foam and dirt that arise.
3. Turn the heat off. If using a stainless steel pot let the must cool inside the pot overnight. Otherwise, transfer the grape must to a large glass bowl to sit overnight.
4. By the next day, all remnant dirt will have sunk at the bottom. Ladle the clear must from the top into clean jars or bottles, passing it first through a muslin cloth.
5. Store in jars or bottles and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or store in the freezer for up to 6 months.