How is pressing done?

There are different types of Champagne presses:

Traditional manually operated vertical wine presses (28% of all presses).

Horizontal presses, lateral membrane presses, presses with a tilted plate or a rotatable platen, which are computer-controlled.

he presses range in capacity from 2,000 to 12,000 kilos of whole grapes.

Traditional VERTICAL presses

1. The grapes are placed in the press basket.

2. A pressure plate descends to crush the grapes.

3. The juice drains out via the the openings in the basket.

Automatic LATERAL MEMBRANE presses

1. The grapes are placed in a cylindrical cage equipped with a pneumatic membrane on one side.

2. As it inflates, the membrane crushes the grapes.

3. The juice flow out through internal drains.

Horizontal hydraulic press with a TILTED PLATE

1. The grapes are placed on a tilted horizontal plate.

2. As the plate moves, the grapes are crushed against a second, fixed plate.

3. The juice drains out.

Between every ‘marc’ (unit of measurement for a press-load of grapes), the press must be emptied and cleaned with water.

As part of the commitment to sustainable viticulture, solid residues left over after pressing are sent for distillation and 100% of all winery wastewater is treated.