If my mother taught me anything, it was that the finest things in life have less to do with how much you can pay and more about the care and attention you give something. Through years of experience exploring the wine industry, I’ve learned the same to be true about the quality of wine and wine presses, especially for those who are trying their hand at home. Like most hobbies, the price point for niche equipment and tools can become extremely expensive quickly.
I assist restaurants across the country with building their wine selection and am quite familiar with the ins and outs of the industry. The dirty secret to home winemaking is that the most expensive, top-dollar items are not going to yield the largest gains in your skill improvement. With some basic equipment, proper technique and a quality recipe are really the two largest components in bringing your home wine batches to the standard median quality in production.
That being said, beginners shouldn’t fret about having to drop an exorbitant amount of money for the best equipment. Leave the price anxiety and state-of-the-art equipment to the high-end winemakers looking for ways to perfect their recipes even by the smallest degree. Here are the most affordable wine presses that provide expert results. Again, all of this plays into my philosophy that it’s never about the price of wine, but about what goes into it.
These are the 5 most affordable wine presses.
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EJWOX Natural Wood Manual Press
As a best-seller, the EJWOX Manual Press offers winemakers a simple option for fruit crushing and juicy with rustic, natural aesthetic appeal. The press is lined with natural wood color and includes six wood blocks that ensure the press is able to squeeze every ounce of flavor from your product. The press comes in a 1.6-gallon, 3.2-gallon, and 4.75-gallon barrel size and will cost between $96 and $170. The press is a simple structure, has a low environmental impact, and is noise-free. It is among the highest-rated units online and is durable, easy to clean, easy to assemble, and easy to use. The base fruit is loaded into the barrel cage from the top and a press plate is lowered by a metal hand to begin the pressing process and produce a 100% smooth juice pour.
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EJWOX Stainless Steel Manual Press
As a stainless-steel alternative, EJWOX’s Cheese Tincture Manual Press is a smaller and more compact press option for home winemakers. The table-top unit provides an easy and compact pressing option for in-kitchen production with 0.5-gallon, 0.8 gallon, and 1.6-gallon Barrels. The model comes in either cherry red or pale green beginning at a cost of $80. The largest model will cost you $119. The heavy-duty steel base provides a high level of stability while the double-handled press arm makes squeezing fruit a quick and painless process. The simple design means easy and cheap delivery costs and little-to-no assembly time.
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SQUEEZE Classic Press
Quite similar to the EJWOX’s natural wood press, SQUEEZ’s manual juicer provides offers a solid, heavy-duty press and barrel system which can be anchored down with screws. The price point for the SQUEEZE press begins at $100 for a 1.6-gallon system. There are also 3.2-gallon, 4.75-gallon, and 8-gallon barrel options, providing home winemakers with a variety of different capable juice volumes to press at once. The largest model tops out at a price of $240. The SQUEEZE press is compatible with typical mesh pomace filters and can be easily cleaned and stored. The zelkova wood casket provides a durable and shock-resistant barrel structure. If you’re looking to make wine for a larger production, this is definitely a suitable option.
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EJWOX Silver Fruit Wine Press
The 0.8-gallon and 1.6-gallon EJWOX Silver Fruit Wine Press is another table-top system option for wine do-it-yourselfers. Similar to EJWOX’s Stainless Steel Manual Press, this model gives a winemaker a simple, upright press support system that is easily handled to load the aluminum barrel. With its double-handled press arm, the three alloy upright posts and heavy-duty steel base structure allows for high-pressure fruit crushing. This press’ triangular structure enhances its stability to make sure the operator gets the most amount of juice possible. The smaller model will cost roughly $130 while the larger unit will cost about $150. The size and shape make this one of the more quality presses and it is compact enough for easy transportation and delivery.
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Varomorus Stainless Steel Wine Fruit Press
This Varomorus wine press model ranges with barrel sizes from 2.6 gallons to 6.6 gallons. The press system is a single piece with steel arch beams supporting the press thread and handle. The simple design makes the unit easy to store, easy to clean, and easy to assemble. Costs for this unit begin at $240 and goes up to $300. The press can be anchored to a tabletop to ensure maximum stability and includes a spout at the base to easily dispense juices from the base. The reinforced support structure makes sure winemakers can put fruit under the highest pressures. The heavy-duty thread and plate pieces will leave the driest pomace and produce the most amount of juice possible.
Affordable Wine Presses: The Takeaway
The five press options presented above all provide home winemakers with affordable alternatives than the elite-ranking equipment on the market. Each of these models provide comparable results to the higher-end brands without the major overhead expenses. Again, for beginners and even for the average home craftsman, top dollar prices aren’t going to translate to the greatest leaps in wine delivery. Leave the high-end equipment for the professionals who are needing precision. Brand names or craftsman designer lines may make you look more impressive to your friends, but your wine won’t taste better.
If you’re an average Joe-wine maker, keep your budget to around $200 for a new press. Save the additional money to invest in higher quality fruit products, techniques, and your recipe. Again, the price rarely matters when it comes to craft. What matters is the craftsmanship, and that can’t be bought.