🍷 Press juice
Juice or wine squeezed out by the press; coarser and more tannic.
Press juice is juice or wine squeezed by a press from the crushed grapes. The first juice flows out by itself, under the weight of the berries. It is called free-run juice and is considered the cleanest and most delicate. Then the grapes are squeezed by a press, and press juice runs out.
Press juice is darker, coarser and richer in tannins than free-run. It has more matter from the skins and seeds. The harder the press squeezes, the sharper and more astringent the liquid becomes. So the winemaker usually separates the fractions: free-run and light pressing go into the best wine, while hard pressing is used separately or added in small amounts.
In red wines such juice is often added to the main wine for density and structure. In whites and sparkling wines it is used more carefully to keep finesse. The amount of press juice added shapes the style of the wine. Press juice belongs to grape must in the broad sense: it comes from the same raw material but is obtained differently. It is a normal step in the winemaker's work.
Links
- Part of
- 🥃 Grape must
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Free-run juice
Frequently asked questions
What is press juice?
Juice or wine squeezed by a press from the crushed grapes, coarser and more tannic.
How is it different from free-run juice?
Free-run flows by itself and is more delicate, while press juice is darker and richer in tannins.
Why is it added to wine?
To give density and structure, especially to red wines.