Free Run Juice vs. Press Wine: Quality and Character

After red wine is done fermenting, the solids need to be separated from the juice, and wine that is simply drained off is the free-run portion. Some winemakers stop there, while others press the grapes as well; the press gently presses liquid from the red grape skins, and the wine it extracts is press wine. The timing differs by colour. For white wine the crushed grapes are pressed to separate the skins and seeds from the juice, which is then fermented, while red grapes are not pressed until after fermentation. Ridge Vineyards uses its pneumatic presses for both jobs: pressing liquid from red grape skins after fermentation, or from whole white grape clusters before fermentation.

• Red wine: the free-run drains off after fermentation and the remaining solids can then be pressed
• White wine: the grapes are pressed first and the clear juice is then fermented
• One winemaker has called the pressing process a "continuum" rather than a count of first and second pressings

Pressing will bring more tannins, and possibly more flavor, and too much pressing can give a wine harsh or oxidized notes. Over-extraction of phenolic compounds, leading to overly astringent wines, is a risk if the fruit is not treated gently during harvesting, transport, de-stemming, crushing and pressing, and skin contact coupled with subsequent pressing increases the C6 compounds responsible for herbaceous characters in white wines. In red winemaking, extended post-fermentation maceration leaves skins, seeds and any stems in contact with the wine before pressing, with the aim of increasing the extraction of phenolic compounds. In a scoping study on two red varieties, glutamic acid concentrations in pressing wines were three to four times higher than in free run wines. Separate research isolated phenolic fractions from a bitter-tasting white wine prepared from hard pressings.

• Pressing brings more tannins and possibly more flavor; too much pressing can bring harsh or oxidized notes
• Over-extraction of phenolic compounds during handling, crushing and pressing risks overly astringent wines
• Glutamic acid was three to four times higher in pressing wines than in free run wines in a scoping study on two red varieties

In Ridge Vineyards' experience, given high-quality grapes, adding press wine can significantly increase quality and complexity, adding depth of color, tannin, and spice. How close press wine tastes to free-run depends on the grape: Ridge finds Zinfandel's press particularly comparable to its free run mostly because Zinfandel is not a tannic grape, whereas for more-tannic grapes such as Monte Bello's Bordeaux varieties, collecting fractions at different pressure points becomes essential. Its final press fractions can take on a strong aroma and flavor of the grape skins, which Ridge calls a "pomace" character. For white wines, separate processing of free run and press fractions is among the modern practices that maximise varietal characters and minimise oxidation, coarseness or bitterness. In Champagne, the cuvée and the taille each have distinct characteristics and are used to make different types of wine.

• In Ridge Vineyards' experience, given high-quality grapes, press wine can add depth of color, tannin, and spice
• Separate processing of free run and press fractions helps minimise oxidation, coarseness or bitterness in white wines
• Champagne's cuvée and taille have distinct characteristics and go into different types of wine

A winery can bottle only the free-run, bottle a mix of free run and press, or keep the lots or barrels separate and blend them later. Ridge Vineyards shows the fraction-by-fraction approach. The first fraction, "tank drain", is the remaining free-run that drained from the skins overnight with no pressure applied, and Ridge usually returns it to the free-run of the same lot. The "press free-run" that drains in the press over thirty minutes before pressing starts can taste fairly astringent and is usually held out. The "first squeeze", taken at 0.25 atmosphere during the first half-hour, is when the largest quantity of press wine is extracted and is almost always the toughest fraction; Ridge always holds it out of the free-run lots. Fractions collected between 0.3 and 1.0 atmosphere, called "first press", are often added back to the free-run, and the final fractions, collected at 1.0 to 2.0 atmospheres and not forceful enough to break seeds, can be amazing if not too tannic, and Ridge often adds the best of those lots to the free-run. In Champagne, pressing is carried out in two stages, the cuvée and then the taille, under strictly defined rules at pressing centres that are approved and inspected at regular intervals, and the pressing residues must be sent for distillation.

• Ridge grades each fermentor's press fractions A or B, and sometimes C for really tough press wine, then consolidates press lots by quality after malolactic fermentation
• In the most tannic vintages Ridge may need three or four separate egg-white finings and perhaps two years or more in barrel to soften press wine; press wine that does not soften is not blended into any Ridge wine
• Champagne: a 4,000 kg marc yields 2,050 L of cuvée and 500 L of taille, and pressing residues go to distillation

Ridge Vineyards first separated press fractions in 1997, and by its own account the best of them, added to the Monte Bello, increased its quality significantly. Its two presses are in constant use through September and October, mostly pressing fermented red grape varieties and occasionally fresh Chardonnay clusters. In Bordeaux, the key spheres of consultant oenologist Eric Boissenot's consultation include the sorting of different batches of free-run wine and work on the press wine, and he relates: "Peynaud used to say that the press wine was an ally rather than an opponent." At Château Latour, as of 2020, the final blend was selected from 120 batches of free-run wine and 50 press batches over six or seven sessions.

• Ridge Vineyards: first separated press fractions in 1997; the best, added to the Monte Bello, increased its quality significantly
• Château Latour (as of 2020): final blend chosen from 120 free-run batches and 50 press batches

A pneumatic, or membrane, press operates under low air pressure to inflate a membrane which gently presses the liquid, unlike a hydraulic press or a continuous screw press. In Champagne, whole clusters are pressed as carefully and gently as possible so as not to colour the juice through excessive contact with the skins; Champagne presses were entirely manual until the late 1980s and the majority are now mechanical. Modern winemaking equipment or the traditional presses used in Champagne can result in the virtual avoidance of skin contact. Where white juice is deliberately left on skins before pressing, working under inert gas cover is recommended, and enclosed presses are ideal vessels, with overhead tanks that drop must directly into a press as the next best alternative.

• Pneumatic (membrane) presses inflate a membrane under low air pressure, unlike hydraulic or continuous screw presses
• Champagne presses were entirely manual until the late 1980s; most are now mechanical
• Enclosed presses are ideal vessels for pre-fermentation skin contact, which is recommended under inert gas cover

Primary sources (the Comité Champagne, WSET, the Australian Wine Research Institute, Wine Australia, and Ridge Vineyards for its own winemaking): https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/pressing, https://www.champagne.fr/system/files/2022-10/The%20Champagne-making%20process.pdf, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2021/september/23/what-determines-the-colour-of-wine, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-extended-post-fermentation-maceration/, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-amber-wine/, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-skin-contact/, https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/0d227cae-3b14-4bcc-9065-4bf2ac27f412/AWR-1701-3-1-3-Final-Report.pdf, https://www.ridgewine.com/about/news/press-operation-press-fractions/. Secondary: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/is-there-such-a-thing-as-press-wine-isnt-all-wine-pressed-46272, https://www.decanter.com/premium/the-decanter-interview-bordeaux-consultant-eric-boissenot-438902/. Last verified 2026-10-04