The Angers Wine Presses

The saga of Angers wine presses began in the workshop of Joseph Vaslin, in Martigné-Briand (Maine-et-Loire). In 1857, he filed a patent for a wooden wine press with a square basket and a horizontal screwing system.

The descendents of Joseph Vaslin went on to make improvements to this basket press. In 1919, it was fitted with a round basket. In 1927, the rotating basket was introduced, boasting an automatic redigging system, which offers improved mixing for the marcs during pressing. In 1929, the presses were motorized.

In 1945, Joseph Vaslin the third sold the patents and the business to Gaston Bernier, who founded Constructions Méca-Métalliques Chalonnaises (CMMC) in Chalonnes-sur-Loire (Maine-et-Loire).

In 1946, entrepreneur Gaston Bernier established Constructions Méca-Métalliques Chalonnaises (CMMC) in Chalonnes-sur-Loire, so that the production of Vaslin wine presses could be industrialized.

In 1946, the company created a monorail, which allowed them to transport the presses along the production line. This system improves production and facilitates the loading of goods.

In this photograph, the basket of the wine presses is transported to the assembly workshop via the monorail.

View of the exterior of the CMMC company headquarters and of the monorail used to load the presses.

The monorail pass through all the workshops from the factory to the railway. The railway was the main means of shipping until 1975.
On this photograph, employees of the company pose in front of a convoy of presses departing from Chalonnes-sur-Loire.

From the 1960s onward, the Research and Development department within CMMC focused on developing new manufacturing procedures for wine presses, such as this machine which allowed them to produce fiberglass on-site for making new press baskets.

Gradually, Gaston Bernier developed an international dealer network in parallel with a system of subsidiaries. Italy, Germany, Japan … CMMC exports its innovations around the world.

Dispatching presses via the railway, departing from the Chalonnes-sur-Loire train station in 1954.

Vaslin presses on the port of Marseille in the 1960s. They ready for shipment to Corsica.

These Koopérative style models were manufactured for export to Eastern Europe in 1959.

From 1946, the Vaslin Perfecta press model was fitted with rotating wooden baskets. The press has interior chains, which stop the grapes from sticking to the basket during pressing.

This horizontal press with a rotating basket and automatic redigging was one of the first to be released by the production lines of Constructions Chalonnaises (CMMC) in 1946. Built at a time when raw materials were in short supply, it was produced with recycled materials.

The company Frédéric Froger holds the patent for the Perfecta horizontal press. In 1947, CMMC took over production of this rotation, double-pressured press.

Evolution of Perfecta, the Cepdor wine press model was developed in 1952. It included a few improvements: the gearbox and automatic stop of the press at the end of pressing.
This 925 gallon (35-hectoliter) press with programming was intended for cooperatives.

Over the 1950s, Vaslin's Coopérative press range was developed. It marked the beginning of yellow presses, with fiberglass baskets and sheet metal bases. The company developed high-volume presses 1,585 gallon (60 hectolitres), which paved the way into new international markets, amongst cooperatives and large winemaking estates.

Gaston Bernier (on the center) presents a Vaslin press during the Agricultural Machinery Convention in Paris, in 1959.

Coopérative 65 horizontal presses set up as part of a series in a winemaking cooperative in Charentes, in the 1960s.

The Vaslin Véritas press are symbolic of wine presses making the transition to total automation. Pre-programming freed winemakers from the restrictions of constantly monitoring the press.

In this photo taken in the 1970s, the Véritas is set up in a private wine cellar. Following maceration in the tank, the grapes are transferred to the press via a raised conveyor belt.

Advertisement in the 1970s for the Vaslin Véritas electronic press, boasting four pressing programs.

The PA model was developed in 1975, and was an evolution of the Véritas model. It was fitted with circular doors, and no longer required manual intervention during filling and emptying.

The Cep and PHP ranges offered new features, including fully automated filling and more efficient draining. These models were the latest mechanical models developed by CMMC.

In 1986, Swiss group Bucher bought out CMMC. They chose to keep the Vaslin, name, which was well-established in the winemaking world, for its wine press section. This company purchase led to significant changes in production procedures. The new company, Vaslin Bucher, developed an unprecedented range of wine presses: pneumatic presses. However, for 10 years, they continued to produce mechanical presses.

This view of the assembly workshop shows the transition from mechanical press production (on the right) to pneumatic presses (on the left).

Workers had to adapt to pneumatic presses, learning to manufacture stainless steel presses and to create polyester membranes.

New press ranges were designed and developed: Delta, RPA, XP.

Bucher RPF30 pneumatic press being cleaned by a vineyard worker

Since the middle of the 19th century, Angers wine presses have been established in the winemaking world.

And history continues to evolve: located in Chalonnes-sur-Loire, the company Bucher Vaslin still produces many ranges of presses...