This wine press, manufactured by Philadelphia’s Baccellieri Brothers Company, is of the type widely used by home winemakers. It was purchased sometime after 1902, when Francesco Lee (Lia), arrived in the United States from the Catanzaro region of Italy. Operating the press was straightforward: after the crushed grapes and juice were emptied into the press, the winemaker placed wooden blocks on top of them to help compress the grapes as the screw was turned with a long wooden handle. As the mass of crushed grapes was pressed, juice ran out of the bottom and into another barrel. In addition to the wine press, the museum collected several blocks of various sizes and all stained with grape juice, used by the Lee family with this press.
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