# Winepress > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Winepress > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Winepress.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winepress > Source revision: 1332642205 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Device used to extract juice from grapes Byzantine-period winepress from [Shivta](/source/Shivta) (Sobota), Israel, with treading floor and collection vats 16th-century winepress A **winepress** is a device used to [extract juice](/source/Pressing_(wine)) from crushed [grapes](/source/Grapes) during [winemaking](/source/Winemaking). There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit (most often grapes). The pressure must be controlled, especially with grapes, in order to avoid crushing the seeds and releasing a great deal of undesirable [tannins](/source/Grape_tannins) into the [wine](/source/Wine).[1] Wine was being made at least as long ago as 4000 BC; in 2011, a winepress was unearthed in Armenia with red wine dated 6,000 years old.[2] ## Press types Modern winepress ### Basket A basket press consists of a large basket filled with the crushed grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit. The mechanism to lower the plate is often either a screw or a [hydraulic](/source/Hydraulic) device. The juice flows through openings in the basket. The basket style press was the first type of mechanized press to be developed. Its basic design has not changed in nearly 10,000 years.[3] ### Horizontal screw A horizontal screw press works using the same principle as the basket press. Instead of a plate being brought down to put pressure on the grapes, plates from either side of a closed cylinder are brought together to squeeze the grapes. Generally the volume of grapes handled is significantly greater than that of a basket press.[4] ### Bladder A bladder press consists of a large cylinder, closed at each end, into which the fruit is loaded. To press the grapes, a large [bladder](/source/Pneumatic_bladder) expands and pushes the grapes against the sides. The juice then flows out through small openings in the cylinder. The cylinder rotates during the process to help [homogenize](/source/Homogenizer) the pressure that is placed on the grapes.[5] ### Continuous screw A continuous screw press differs from the above presses in that it does not process a single batch of grapes at a time. Instead it uses an [Archimedes' screw](/source/Archimedes'_screw) to continuously force grapes up against the wall of the device. Juice is extracted, and the [pomace](/source/Pomace) continues through to the end where it is extracted.[6] This style of press is rarely used to produce table wines, and some countries forbid its use for higher quality wines.[7] ### Flash release [Flash release](/source/Flash_release) is a technique used in winepressing.[8] The treatment consists of heating the grapes with steam almost to boiling and then submitting them to a strong vacuum. The technique allows for a better extraction of [phenolic compounds](/source/Phenolic_content_in_wine).[9] ## Gallery - Ancient winepress in [Israel](/source/Israel) with the pressing area in the center and the collection vat off to the bottom left. - A bladder press - Old style press in [Romania](/source/Romania) for home-made wine - Workings of a winepress (1700s in [Ravensburg](/source/Ravensburg), Germany) - Remains of a medieval winepress in the [Rioja Alavesa](/source/Rioja_Alavesa) - Ancient winepress carved into the ground at [Hurvat Itri](/source/Hurvat_Itri), Israel ## See also - [History of the winepress](/source/History_of_the_wine_press) - [Grape stomping](/source/Grape_stomping) - [Pressing (wine)](/source/Pressing_(wine)) ## References Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Wine presses](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wine_presses). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Professional Friends of Wine website - Wine 101](https://www.winepros.org/wine101/enology.htm). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Archaeologists Unearth the World's Oldest Wine Press"](https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/11/archaeologists-unearth-the-worlds-oldest-wine-press/). *[TIME](/source/Time_(magazine))*. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** David Bird, *Understanding Wine Technology The Science of Wine Explained*, p. 47 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-891267-91-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-891267-91-4). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Bird, p. 49. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Yair Margalit, *Winery Technology & Operations A Handbook for Small Wineries*, pp. 42-43 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-932664-66-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-932664-66-0). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Margalit, p. 46. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bird, p. 52. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Flash release and wine quality. Escudier J.L., Kotseridis Y. and Moutounet M., Progrès Agricole et Viticole, 2002 (French). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Effect of Flash Release Treatment on Phenolic Extraction and Wine Composition. Cécile Morel-Salmi, Jean-Marc Souquet, Magali Bes and Véronique Cheynier, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54 (12), pp. 4270–4276, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1021/jf053153k](https://doi.org/10.1021%2Fjf053153k). v t e Winemaking Harvest Late harvest Noble rot Vintage Pressing Deacidification Destemming Chaptalization Wine press Maceration Carbonic maceration Fermentation Malolactic fermentation Sparkling wine production Sugars in wine Süssreserve Traditional method Yeast assimilable nitrogen Yeast in winemaking Aging Oak Solera Storage of wine Wine cellar Other steps Clarification and stabilization of wine Related Winery Wine bottle Glossary of viticulture terms Glossary of winemaking terms Wine tasting descriptors History of the wine press History of wine Terroir Wine portal [Portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Drink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Drink) Authority control databases International GND National United States Spain Israel Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Winepress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winepress) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winepress?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.