Description
Process of extracting juice from grapes in winemaking
Technical
In winemaking, pressing is the process where juice is extracted from the grapes with the aid of a wine-press, by hand, or even by the weight of the grape berries and clusters. Historically, intact grape clusters were trodden by feet but in most wineries today the grapes are sent through a crusher/destemmer, which removes the individual grape berries from the stems and breaks the skins, releasing some juice, prior to being pressed. There are exceptions, such as the case of sparkling wine production in regions such as Champagne where grapes are traditionally whole-cluster pressed with stems included to produce a lighter must that is low in phenolics.
Sensory Profile
Aroma ()
Taste
Texture
Wine Analogy
Similar to the difference between free-run and pressed juice in olive oil extraction
Coffee Analogy
Comparable to the varying pressure levels in espresso extraction affecting flavor profile
Perfume Analogy
Like the difference between top notes (free-run) and base notes (hard-pressed) in fragrance composition
Culinary Applications
Dietary
Molecular Pairing
Key Compounds Produced