Destemming: separation, not crushing

The standard

Controlled berry separation frees the berries without bruising the skin or tearing the stem structure. What matters is how much green material remains and how much juice escapes prematurely.

Criteria

• The berry comes away whole, not as a fragment
• The stem structure stays intact
• The share of remaining stems is known, not estimated
• Premature juice loss stays low

Distinction

Destemming ≠ crushing: separation frees the berry, crushing tears it apart. Destemming ≠ whole-cluster fermentation: there the stems remain deliberately in the vat. Controlled berry separation thus decides how much stem structure has any influence at all.