🍷 Wine press

A wine press is a machine that squeezes juice out of grapes or crushed grapes (the mash of skins, pulp and seeds). Crushed grapes are berries broken together with skins and seeds.

The press separates the liquid part from the solid part. For white wines, grapes are usually pressed before fermentation. For reds, they are pressed after the wine has fermented on the skins. The solid leftovers, or pomace, can later be distilled into strong spirits.

Presses come in several kinds. The basket press is old-fashioned: a plate pushes down from above on a wooden basket. The pneumatic press is modern: inside a cylinder a soft bag inflates and gently presses the berries against the walls. It gives cleaner juice with less bitterness. The choice of press affects the wine's taste. Pressing is an important step between harvest and fermentation, and small producers often keep old presses for their best wines.