Pressing Red Wine Must

The must will not have to be squeezed too tightly since red musts tend to press rather easily.  The pressed wine should be placed in a glass carboy with an air lock.  Unlike white wine, aerating by allowing the wine to splash while filling containers is desirable.  Red wines are much more forgiving in their exposure to air and splashing allows for the release of off odors formed during the fermentation.  Residual sugar values for a dry red wine will be in the range of 0.2 to 0.4% (some of the coloring material in the wine will react during the sugar test).