Old-ish Spanish Aguardente/Bagaco Still

[tommysb]

A friend of mine recently bought a winery in Northern Spain. I was up there this last weekend helping to prepare and install some equipment for this year's harvest.

It's common in these areas (I count Portugal, where I am based), that the 'by-product' of the wine making is distilled, to not waste any remaining alcohol, which stays in the grape pommace after it has been pressed. I think this is the same process as Italian grappa which I've seen a few threads about here.In Portuguese at least, we call this pommace 'Bagaco', and the resulting drink takes the same name. In Spain, I think they call it Aguardiente. (Here, also aguardente).

Anyway, along with the winery, came a pair of copper stills which are used to make this drink. As for the product, typically the Portuguese home made ones that I have tried are pretty rough, and can be bought very cheaply in the villages. This is usually prepared 'off the books', but there is some provisions in Portuguese law that one can make up to 30l of it per year for personal use, if you apply to the customs authority. Practically, I think that most people just make the stuff and don't worry about filing the paperwork.

Anyway, I attach some photos of the still. I won't discuss more on this forum about using it, as I am not sure about the size. But, we have plans to LEGALLY use this to make aguardente after this year's harvest.

I tried to attach some images

The stills

Inside. I guess the mesh is to hold solids off the bottom and minimise scortching.

Manufacturer, place and date.

Condenser worm.

View from the back of the winery

[shadylane]

Figuring the chair has a seat height of around 18 inches.
I used that as a yard stick to guesstimate the pot size.
Probably around 100 liters.
That's under our 30 gallon hobby sized limit.

I love the design.
Gas fired, tip to empty, a water sealed lid and unions to connect the line arm.
And damn there's even a matched set. Every time I look at the pair of stills.
I think of a full set of breasts.

[tommysb]

A couple more Interesting point also - The stills are simply tipped towards the centre to empty them, and the used pommace goes down a chute and out the back of the winery.

I think that the wire in the second picture, across the internals of the still is some sort of customs seal. Anyway, first we need to take care of the wine...then we worry more about these nice old stills.

[jonnys_spirit]

It’s about time to harvest. I’m getting some CA grapes 9/25 and some WA grapes middle of October.

That’s a nice pair for sure and looks very robust.

What varietals will running through there?

Cheers,
J

[tommysb]

We will be making wine from Grenache (Garnacha) and Mencia, so i suppose distilling off the bagaco from those.

[tommysb]

A friend of mine sent me this photo the other day - this time in Portugal.

It was a funny story - he got his van stuck somewhere, in deep, dark rural Portugal, and had to find someone with a tractor to pull him out.

Now, the guy in the village was in the middle of his distillation run! And he couldn't leave his still unattended - so the wife took over tending the still, the old chap got his tractor, freed my friend, and then rushed back to his still.

More than that, I don't know.

I will say that distilling the leftovers from the grape harvest is extremely common here. Technically it's not legal, but this law it is un-encforced for small 'friends and family' scale operations like this. If you dig into the laws, one can obtain a personal license for up to 30L(PA?) non-commercial production per year, but I sincerely doubt that anyone actually does that.

The grape harvest has just finished here now, so there will be plenty of these kinds of operations running for the next month or so.

[tombombadil]

This is very cool, thanks for sharing!

[goose eye]

Ain't much difference no matter where you from.
That beak where it attached to cap. Anyone from anywhere that cooks a outfit like that got the same problem. That beak is just easy to grab ahold to.
Where beak joins worm. Ain't no different.
Figure they make their biscuit with wine.

So I'm tole

[ecir54]

now i want some Bagaço, one of my sisters is going to Portugal this summer will asked her to bring some back if she can find it.

https://www.azores-adventures.com/2015/ ... 3%A7o.html

[Chauncey]

This is a beautiful piece of equipment!;. Thanks for the pics

Felix Varela must have been a local or regional still builder.