🍷 Free-run juice

Free-run juice is the juice that flows from crushed grapes by itself, under their own weight, before pressing. It is regarded as the most delicate and cleanest juice that can be obtained. When grapes are crushed or simply loaded into a vessel, the lower layers are pressed by the upper ones and juice drains from them. It is pale and contains little tannin and bitterness, because the skins and seeds are hardly touched. Fine, fresh wines are made from it. It is especially valued for white and rosé wines. The grapes are then sent to the press, which yields press juice. It is darker, denser, with more tannin and a coarser taste. It is often separated into fractions and used for simpler wines or added to the blend in a small share. Free-run juice is part of grape must, the juice from which wine is made. Many farms collect it separately. The gentler the handling of the berries, the cleaner the taste.