# 02 Process Step 1 — Crush & Press: Ancestral — Método Alquímico

## Process Summary

Whole-cluster pressing. **No crushing, no destemming, no skin contact.** This is the critical distinction that protects the high-pH Trepat must from potassium-driven pH rise and from excess phenolic extraction.

## Process Stages

1. **Whole clusters loaded directly into press** — no crushing between
2. **Slow press cycle** — strict fraction separation
3. **Cuvée (first 50–60 L)**: kept — low phenol, low K, clean
4. **Taille (later fractions)**: discarded — higher pH and phenols
5. **Débourbage** — 24h cold settling at 8–10°C in sealed "siempre lleno" deposit
6. **Racking** — clean juice racked off heavy solids to fermentation deposit

## Assets

| Filename | Description | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| `removing stems` | Video — destemming reference (note: Ancestral uses whole-cluster, so this is shown only to contrast) | Pre-press |
| `wine_in_filter` | Video — must filtration/settling reference | Press |
| `wine` | Video — clean must in vessel | Post-press |
| `wine in tube_transfusion` | Video — must transfer | Transfer |
| `transfusion` | Video — racking reference | Transfer |
| `fermentation_with_clusters_on_top` | Whole-cluster press reference | Press |
| `skins_after fermentation` | Skins after press — visual of what is left behind | Post-press |