Vintage Grape Presses

The pressing of grapes is the process where juice is extracted from the grapes with the aid of a wine press. Earliest wine presses came with ancient cultures. However, the “basket press” still used today was developed in the Middle Ages. Although labor intensive, the process and use of this style press can, when properly used, more gently press the grapes. However, it is slow and often exposes the “must” to oxygen. In California, the basket press with a “ratchet” style head on a worm was the predominant type of grape press from the 1870’s until Prohibition. It is still used today by home winemakers and wineries. Most of the grape presses in this collection are of this style. They date from the 1870’s to the 1930's.