Buying guide
Best Wine Press for Home Winemaking
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A wine press does one job: it squeezes the juice out of crushed grapes or fruit so you can ferment it, and the right size turns an afternoon of hand squeezing into a few turns of a handle. This guide compares the best wine press options for home winemaking, from a small stainless press for berries to a beech basket press that holds almost eight gallons of crushed fruit.
We picked these presses from the manufacturers’ listings, the size of the basket and how widely each one is bought on Amazon. Every spec below comes from the maker. If you are still deciding whether you need a press at all, start with our guide to making wine at home and the equipment and supplies checklist.
Editor's Choice
EJWOX 4.75 Gallon Fruit and Wine Press
A solid beech basket press on a heavy stand with a pour spout and a breakaway basket. The 4.75 gallon size suits most one to six gallon home batches.
-
For small batches
EJWOX 1.6 Gallon Stainless Steel Press
Stainless inner and outer buckets, a T-handle and a mesh filter bag for berries and pre-crushed fruit.
-
For a big harvest
EJWOX 7.9 Gallon Fruit and Wine Press
The same beech basket design in the largest size, for backyard vineyards and apple trees.
Best Wine Presses Compared
The six presses below cover every common home size. Capacity is the volume of the basket, not the amount of juice you get out of it: a basket full of crushed grapes gives far less than its own volume in juice.
| Press | EJWOX 4.75 Gal Beech Editor's Choice | EJWOX 1.6 Gal Stainless | EJWOX 3.2 Gal Beech | EJWOX 3.69 Gal Stainless | SQUEEZE master 4.75 Gal | EJWOX 7.9 Gal Beech |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Basket size | 4.75 gal | 1.6 gal (6 L) | 3.2 gal | 3.69 gal (14 L) | 4.75 gal (18 L) | 7.9 gal |
| Basket | Solid beech, breakaway | Stainless steel | Solid beech, breakaway | Stainless steel | Solid wood | Solid beech, breakaway |
| Drive | Screw, metal handle | Screw, T-handle | Screw, metal handle | Acme screw, T-handle | Screw, pole handle bar | Screw, metal handle |
| Extras | Stand with pour spout | Mesh filter bag | Stand with pour spout | Powder coated frame | 6 press blocks, filter bag | Stand with pour spout |
| Best for | Most home batches | Berries, soft fruit | Small grape batches | Easy cleanup | Traditional feel | Big harvests |
| Price | $$ | $$ | $$ | $$ | $$ | $$ |
| Buy | Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price | Check price |
Editor's Choice
EJWOX 4.75 Gal Beech
- Basket size
- 4.75 gal
- Basket
- Solid beech, breakaway
- Drive
- Screw, metal handle
- Extras
- Stand with pour spout
- Best for
- Most home batches
- Price
- $$
EJWOX 1.6 Gal Stainless
- Basket size
- 1.6 gal (6 L)
- Basket
- Stainless steel
- Drive
- Screw, T-handle
- Extras
- Mesh filter bag
- Best for
- Berries, soft fruit
- Price
- $$
EJWOX 3.2 Gal Beech
- Basket size
- 3.2 gal
- Basket
- Solid beech, breakaway
- Drive
- Screw, metal handle
- Extras
- Stand with pour spout
- Best for
- Small grape batches
- Price
- $$
EJWOX 3.69 Gal Stainless
- Basket size
- 3.69 gal (14 L)
- Basket
- Stainless steel
- Drive
- Acme screw, T-handle
- Extras
- Powder coated frame
- Best for
- Easy cleanup
- Price
- $$
SQUEEZE master 4.75 Gal
- Basket size
- 4.75 gal (18 L)
- Basket
- Solid wood
- Drive
- Screw, pole handle bar
- Extras
- 6 press blocks, filter bag
- Best for
- Traditional feel
- Price
- $$
EJWOX 7.9 Gal Beech
- Basket size
- 7.9 gal
- Basket
- Solid beech, breakaway
- Drive
- Screw, metal handle
- Extras
- Stand with pour spout
- Best for
- Big harvests
- Price
- $$
Wine Press Reviews
Each review sticks to what the manufacturer states about the press: basket size and material, how the screw is driven and what comes in the box. The notes on who each press suits are our own reading of those specs.
EJWOX 4.75 Gallon Fruit and Wine Press (Editor's Choice)
This is the classic home basket press: a basket of solid red beech staves, a metal screw turned by a handle, and a heavy stand with a built-in pour spout so the juice runs straight into your bucket. EJWOX describes the basket as a breakaway design, which means it opens so you can tip out the pressed pulp between loads instead of digging it out with your hands.
The 4.75 gallon basket is the size we would point most readers to. It is big enough to press the grapes for a one to six gallon batch in a few loads, yet the whole press stands about 27.6 inches tall and weighs around 26 pounds according to the listing, so it still fits in a garage or under a bench. Each foot has a screw hole if you want to fix it to a board for stability.
Good to know: beech is a hardwood, but like any wooden basket it needs rinsing and drying after every session.
EJWOX 1.6 Gallon Stainless Steel Press (Best for Small Batches)
A compact press with stainless steel inner and outer buckets, a T-handle on a high-torque screw and a reusable mesh filter bag that keeps seeds and pulp out of the juice. It holds 1.6 gallons (6 liters) of fruit, which suits one gallon batches of berry, plum or grape wine.
The maker is clear about one limit: this press is built for soft fruit and pre-crushed material, not whole apples or hard fruit. Crush or chop first, or pick one of the basket presses below for apples.
EJWOX 3.2 Gallon Fruit and Wine Press
The same beech basket, stand and pour spout as our Editor's Choice in a smaller size. The listing gives a height of about 22.4 inches and a weight of about 23 pounds, so it saves space without changing how the press works.
Pick it if you make one to three gallons at a time and want a real basket press rather than a straining bag. For six gallon batches you will press more loads than with the 4.75 gallon model.
EJWOX 3.69 Gallon Stainless Steel Wine Press
If you would rather not look after a wooden basket, this press swaps the staves for a food grade stainless steel basket that holds up to 14 liters (about 3.7 gallons) of fruit. The frame and stand are powder coated, and a heavy T-handle turns a large diameter Acme screw, which EJWOX says creates high pressure with little effort.
The basket detaches from the plate for cleaning. It costs more than the beech presses of a similar size, so it makes most sense for readers who press several batches every season.
SQUEEZE master 4.75 Gallon Solid Wood Basket Press
A traditional looking press with a solid wood basket, a long pole handle bar and six wooden press blocks that let you add height as the pulp compresses. SQUEEZE master states that the 18 liter basket presses 22 to 33 pounds of fruit at one time, and a filter bag comes in the box.
It is the alternative to our Editor's Choice at the same basket size. Choose it if you like the pole handle and the press blocks; choose the EJWOX if you want the stand with a pour spout.
EJWOX 7.9 Gallon Fruit and Wine Press (Best for a Big Harvest)
The largest size of the beech basket press, with the same stand, pour spout and breakaway basket. It is meant for readers with a backyard vineyard, a few apple trees or a club that presses together, where loading the basket fewer times saves real time.
Check your floor space first: the listing gives a footprint of roughly 24.4 by 14.4 inches. For one gallon batches it is more press than you need.
How to Choose a Wine Press for Home Winemaking
Four questions decide which press fits you: how much fruit you press at once, what the basket is made of, how the screw is driven and whether you also need a crusher.
Match the Basket to Your Batch Size
Start from the wine you want to make and work back to the fruit. Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences put the figure at about 13.3 pounds of grapes per gallon of finished wine in its 2021 explainer Grapes 101: Grapes in a Bottle of Wine, based on 150 gallons of wine per ton of grapes, and noted that yields range from 130 to 180 gallons per ton depending on the grapes, the press and losses in racking.
On that basis a one gallon batch needs roughly 13 to 14 pounds of grapes and a six gallon batch roughly 80 pounds. A 1.6 or 3.2 gallon basket handles the first comfortably; for the second, a 4.75 gallon basket means fewer loads, and the 7.9 gallon size makes sense once you press for several carboys at a time.
Wood or Stainless Steel Basket?
Wooden baskets made of beech or other hardwood are the traditional choice and let juice run out between the staves along their whole height. They need a rinse and a full dry after each session so they do not stay damp in storage. Stainless baskets, like the two EJWOX steel models above, are easier to clean and do not absorb anything, at a higher price for the same capacity.
Screw, Ratchet or Hydraulic Press
All six presses here are screw presses: you turn a handle and a threaded rod drives the press plate down. A T-handle or a long pole bar gives you more leverage than a short handle. Ratchet presses add a lever mechanism so you can pump instead of turning, and hydraulic presses use a jack or water bladder for the most pressure. Both sit in a higher price tier and only pay off when you press large volumes every year.
Do You Need a Crusher Too?
A press works on crushed fruit, not whole bunches or whole apples. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension circular Winemaking at Home (C 717, reviewed 2013) suggests a rolling pin, food grinder or chopper for crushing, and notes that solid fruits such as apples give much better results when crushed in a food chopper. For a few gallons of grapes, squeezing the berries by hand in a sanitized bucket works too. For apples or a larger harvest, a dedicated crusher saves effort before the press.
When to Press: Before or After Fermentation
Timing depends on the color of the wine. The same UGA circular explains that for white wine the juice is separated from the skins and pulp right away and moved to the secondary fermenter, while for red wine the whole mix of juice, pulp and skins goes into the primary fermenter for three to seven days to extract color before it is strained or pressed. So for whites you press fresh crushed fruit, and for reds you press fermenting must.
How to Use a Basket Press
- Sanitize the basket, plate, tray and the bucket that will catch the juice.
- Line the basket with a pressing bag or filter bag if your press has one; it keeps seeds and skins out of the juice and makes emptying easier.
- Load the crushed fruit or fermenting must, leaving room at the top for the plate and blocks.
- Press slowly. Turn the handle until juice flows, then pause and let it drain before the next turn. Rushing mostly pushes pulp into the bag.
- Add blocks as the cake compresses, so the screw keeps pushing on the fruit.
- Break the cake once the flow stops, loosen it, reload it and press a second time if you want the last of the juice.
- Clean and dry every part straight away, wooden baskets in particular.
From here the juice goes into your fermenter. If you are choosing one, see carboy vs bucket, and for the full process the guide to making wine from fruit.
Pressing Without a Wine Press
You do not need a press for your first batch. The UGA circular describes a pressing bag or straining cloth, ideally a burlap or well-sewn canvas bag about 12 inches wide by 14 inches deep, with cheesecloth as a fallback, and suggests holding back the surface solids, straining off the clear liquid first and then squeezing the rest of the pulp in the bag by hand.
That works well for a gallon or two. Past that, a basket press gets more juice out of the same fruit with far less effort, which is why most home winemakers buy one once they start making wine from fresh grapes every autumn.
Wine is for adults of legal drinking age. Enjoy it responsibly.