Free Run Juice: The Purest Expression

My Latest in Washington Tasting Room Magazine:

Free Run Juice: The Purest Expression of The Grape

by L.M. Archer

As Washington State wine grows in stature internationally, winemakers continue tweaking techniques, including using ‘free run’ instead of pressed juice

WINES crafted from all free run juice are often touted for their potential to elicit the purest expression of the grape. What exactly is free run wine?

“Free run is most of the juice given up by the grapes due to gravity alone,” explains respected Master of Wine Bob Betz, advisor and consulting winemaker for Betz Family Winery.

“For reds, it’s typically obtained at some point during or after fermentation on the skins is complete, just by allowing it to flow from the fermentation vessel. Since it’s already wine, we refer to this fraction as ‘free run wine.’ The remainder is ‘press wine’ that is squeezed mechanically from the pomace.”

Notable nuances

Betz perceives some notable nuances in free run wine versus press wine. “Free run is typically more pleasant, especially early on during maturation, because it has less tannin and lower astringency than press wine,” he says. “Free run wine is softer, more supple, rounder, and feels more concentrated than press wine, and is prized for its suppleness in crafting big-boned reds.”

These slight differences also carry through in the color. “After a period of maturation, free run wine most often can have deeper color than press wine. Often winemakers purposely make a final red blend only from free run wine, depending on variety, vineyard source, and winemaker preference.”

Additionally, free wine ‘fractions’ inform quality, not unlike press wine. “There are gradations of free run wine: that which is first to be drained from the fermentation vessel is different from the last of the free run to drip out,” elaborates Betz. “The winemaker can sequentially capture various fractions of free run wine and keep them separate in different vessels (typically barrels for reds), identifying them as such.” READ MORE HERE. 

I’m delighted to share the online link to my article on free run juice, also in the Spring 2025 print issue of Washington Tasting Room Magazine, available at any Washington state tasting room and Barnes & Nobles bookseller.

Find more of my work here.