Choosing a pump for your winery is not simply a matter of selecting the biggest flow rate or the lowest price. The right pump depends on what you are transferring, how delicate the product is, how viscous it is, whether it contains solids, and the pressure and flow requirements of your process.
Vitis & Winemakers supplies three pump ranges suited to winery and beverage applications: Liverani, Kiesel and Bucher Vaslin Delta. All three offer gentle, reliable product transfer, but each is suited to different applications and points in the winery process.
Before choosing a pump, consider:
● Is the product a free-flowing liquid or highly viscous?
● Does it contain solids, whole grapes, seeds or skins?
● How delicate is the product?
● Do you need high pressure?
● Do you need a compact, mobile pump for general cellar transfers?
● Are you transferring large volumes?
● Is the pump going to be installed beneath a de-stemmer or mill, or at a receival hopper?
● Do you need to pump from a tank, pit or keg?
Need to transfer wine, must or other liquids gently:
Consider: Liverani EP / Kiesel impeller / Bucher Vaslin Delta FLEX / Delta LOB / Delta Twin
Several pump types across the three ranges are designed for gentle product transfer where juice or wine integrity is the priority.
Note: When transferring stemmed grapes, seeds and skins will accelerate impeller wear. Plan for more frequent impeller inspection and replacement in these applications.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta FLEX pump also uses flexible impellers at slow or fast speed, with food-grade neoprene blades that minimise seed and pulp damage. It is reversible and self-priming, and is used for pump-over, descaling, filtration, filling and bottling. Wine capacities range from 35 to 700 hl/h depending on the model.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin is a slow-speed eccentric double-piston rotary pump designed for the transfer of juices and wines. It handles viscous products with minimal product stress and is used for pump-over, transfer, filtration, casking, bottling, lees, musts and wines. Its suction power allows operation up to 8 metres dry. Wine capacities range from 5 to 300 hl/h.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB is a lobe pump designed for all types of winery work. It allows solid particles up to 50mm in diameter to pass through, provides continuous flow without stirring, and is self-priming up to 8 metres dry. It transfers grapes, musts and wines, assists with bottling, pumps lees, and can be combined with filtration systems. It is resistant to temperatures from -10°C to 90°C and pressures from 4 to 10 bar. Wine capacities range from 15 to 1,100 hl/h.
The Kiesel impeller range provides a compact, self-priming solution for clean and semi-solid liquids, suited to cellar transfers, filtration and general beverage movement.
For fixed cellar installations, the Liverani EP (coaxial electric) is the standard ready-to-run choice. For crush pads needing a pump that moves between tanks, bins and the crusher-destemmer, the Liverani GR (belt-driven, on base or trolley) is better suited.
Need to move highly viscous products?
Consider: Kiesel eccentric screw pumps / Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin
For highly viscous, non-homogeneous products, a positive displacement pump is generally the better choice.
Kiesel eccentric screw pumps are designed to handle products including must, wine, yeast, dregs, fruit mash and concentrates. The positive displacement design provides smooth, controlled flow and can handle products that are too thick or demanding for a standard impeller pump. For winery-scale applications, typical capacities range from 2,000 to 15,000 Hl/hr, with pressure ratings of 2–4 bar.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin's eccentric double-piston design also handles viscous products well, operating at slow speed with minimal product damage, across wine capacities of 5 to 300 hl/h.
Need to handle whole grapes, fruit or solids?
Consider: Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB / Delta DP / Kiesel Eccentric Screw / Liverani RID
If your application involves whole grapes, destemmed harvest or products containing significant solids, the Delta LOB and Delta DP are the standout options from the Bucher Vaslin range, alongside the Kiesel eccentric screw series.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB lobe pump allows solid particles up to 50mm in diameter to pass through without damage, making it suitable for grapes, must and wines containing skins and seeds.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta DP is a peristaltic pump with two applications: grape harvest transfer and wine transfer. It is self-priming to 7 metres and can be combined with a feed hopper. It ensures minimum crushing of destemmed harvest during transfer, with wine capacities from 15 to 350 hl/h across four models.
The Kiesel eccentric screw range is designed to move products while minimising damage to seeds and skins, and also offers the Series B; a specialised pump for stone-fruit mashes, designed to keep fruit stones intact during transfer.
The Liverani RID (gear motor-driven) is a good option here; its compact, belt-free design copes well with whole berries and stemmed grapes at a receival point, with less ongoing maintenance than a belt-driven unit.
Need a pump for general cellar transfers and filtration?
Consider: Liverani EP, VA / Kiesel impeller / Bucher Vaslin Delta FLEX / Delta LOB / Delta Twin
For general wine transfers, pump-over, filtration, casking, bottling and lees management, all three ranges offer strong options.
Within the Liverani range, the EP (coaxial electric) suits fixed-position cellar and filtration duty, the VA (mechanical speed variator) lets crews adjust flow by hand without swapping pulleys, and the INV (inverter-driven) gives the finest electronic speed control for filtration and metered transfer work.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta FLEX covers similar ground — reversible, self-priming, with food-grade neoprene impellers — and is used for pump-over, descaling, filtration, filling and bottling, with wine capacities from 35 to 700 hl/h.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB is described by Bucher Vaslin as the 'perfect image of versatility'. It transfers grapes, musts and wines, assists with bottling, pumps lees, and integrates with filtration systems, all in a single pump with self-priming capability to 8 metres and pressure resistance to 10 bar.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin covers pump-over, transfer, filtration, casking, bottling, lees, musts and wines, at slow speed with minimal product impact.
Kiesel impeller pumps offer a compact, self-priming solution for clean and semi-solid liquids with easy cleaning and fast disassembly.
Need high pressure or high-volume flow?
Consider: Kiesel Eccentric Screw Pumps / Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB / Liverani RID MAXI Double
Kiesel eccentric screw pumps are designed for applications requiring higher flow rates and pressure. For winery-scale applications, typical capacities range from 2,000 to 15,000 Hl/hr, with pressure ratings of 2–4 bar.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB reaches wine capacities of up to 1,100 hl/h (LOB 1000 model) with pressure resistance from 4 to 10 bar depending on the model, making it the highest-capacity option in the Bucher Vaslin Delta range for general winery transfer.
For higher-volume needs, the Liverani RID MAXI Double (2Q/2H) twin-head configuration extends this further, delivering up to 72,000 l/h — comparable to entry-level Delta LOB capacities — while retaining the same gentle, low-shear flexible impeller handling.
Need a pump that can self-prime?
All three ranges offer self-priming options
Self-priming can be particularly useful when emptying tanks, drums, IBCs or other vessels.
● self-priming up to 8 metres dry - Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB
● self-priming up to 8 metres dry - Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin
● self-priming up to 7 metres - Bucher Vaslin Delta DP
● All Liverani flexible impeller configurations (S/P, MID, EP, GR, RID, VA, INV) share the same pump head, so suction lift performance is consistent across the range regardless of drive type
● self-priming across the range - Kiesel impeller and eccentric screw pumps
If self-priming is a key requirement, multiple options across all three ranges are suitable. The final choice will depend on the product, flow rate, pressure and solids content.
Need a pump for grape receival, beneath a de-stemmer or at a hopper?
Consider: Bucher Vaslin Delta PMV / PM / Delta PVE / Delta DP / Kiesel Series FTF
Grape receival is a specialist application where pump selection directly affects fruit quality and juice integrity from the first point of contact.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta PMV and PM pumps are eccentric screw pumps positioned at the receival hopper. They ensure reception of fresh destemmed grapes and can be adapted to transfer vatted pomace. They are fitted with geared motors and a high-quality FDA-certified rotor and stator assembly developed specifically by Bucher Vaslin, with variable speed drive options and level detectors for continuous operation. Maximum capacity with destemmed grapes reaches up to 130 t/h (PM10 model).
The Bucher Vaslin Delta PVE pump is positioned at the receiving hopper level, receiving fresh grapes and suitable for transferring vatted pomace. It can be placed under tanks or used as suction, replacing piston pumps, and can also be positioned under Delta Extractys. Wine capacities of 30–45 hl/h.
The Bucher Vaslin Delta DP peristaltic pump can also be combined with a feed hopper for grape harvest transfer, ensuring minimum crushing of destemmed harvest.
The Kiesel Series FTF flat mash pumps are specifically designed for installation beneath de-stemmers and mills, with an ultra-low profile, slow speeds and level-controlled operation for applications where space is limited and product care is important.
The Liverani RID offers a similarly compact, low-profile footprint for installation beneath a de-stemmer or at a receival point, without the belt maintenance of a pulley-driven unit.
Need to pump extremely thick products from tanks, pits or kegs?
Consider: Kiesel Series TP
Kiesel Series TP submersible and tank pumps are designed for extremely viscous products and can deliver high pressures directly from tanks, kegs or pits. These pumps are suited to demanding applications involving products such as concentrates.
Liverani flexible impeller pumps are not suited to extremely thick or highly viscous products of this type, for these applications, the Kiesel Series TP above remains the recommended choice.
At a glance - which pump do you need?
Choose a Liverani pump if you need:
● S/P: for coupling to your own motor or existing drive equipment
● MID: for vineyard and crush pad use with no mains power available
● EP: ready-to-run fixed cellar and crush pad duty — the most popular Liverani configuration
● GR: mobile, low-speed pumping that can be wheeled around the crush pad
● RID: compact, belt-free, low-maintenance option, including under de-stemmers
● RID MAXI Double (2Q/2H): twin-head trolley for high-volume vintage throughput, up to 72,000 l/h
● VA: on-the-fly mechanical flow adjustment without an inverter
● INV: precise electronic speed control, ideal for barrel filling and metered transfer
Choose a Bucher Vaslin Delta FLEX if you need:
● A flexible impeller pump designed specifically for winery use
● Reversible, self-priming transfer of juices and wines
● Pump-over, descaling, filtration, filling or bottling
● Food-grade neoprene impellers that minimise seed and pulp damage
● Wine capacities from 35 to 700 hl/h
Choose a Bucher Vaslin Delta LOB if you need:
● A single versatile pump covering grapes, musts, wines, lees and bottling
● To handle solids up to 50mm in diameter
● Continuous, non-stirring flow
● Self-priming up to 8 metres
● Pressure resistance from 4 to 10 bar
● Wine capacities up to 1,100 hl/h
Choose a Bucher Vaslin Delta Twin if you need:
● Slow-speed eccentric double-piston transfer of juices and wines
● To handle viscous products
● Pump-over, filtration, casking, bottling or lees applications
● Self-priming to 8 metres
● Wine capacities from 5 to 300 hl/h
Choose a Bucher Vaslin Delta DP if you need:
● A peristaltic pump for grape harvest transfer and wine
● Combination with a receival hopper
● Self-priming to 7 metres
● Minimum crushing of destemmed harvest
● Wine capacities from 15 to 350 hl/h
Choose a Bucher Vaslin Delta PMV / PM or PVE if you need:
● Fresh grape receival at the hopper
● Transfer of vatted pomace
● High-capacity receival (PMV / PM up to 130 t/h; PVE 30–45 hl/h wine)
● Variable speed, level-controlled continuous operation
Choose a Kiesel Eccentric Screw pump if you need:
● To transfer highly viscous or non-homogeneous products
● To move must, yeast, dregs, fruit mash or concentrates
● To handle whole grapes or stone fruit
● Higher-pressure transfer
● Higher flow rates for viscous products
Choose a Kiesel Series FTF if you need:
● Ultra-low-profile installation directly beneath a de-stemmer or mill
Choose a Kiesel Series TP if you need:
● To pump extremely viscous products directly from tanks, pits or kegs
Choose a Kiesel Series B if you need:
● To transfer stone-fruit mashes with stones intact
Choose a Kiesel impeller pump if you need:
● A compact, self-priming pump for general cellar transfers
● Filtration applications
● Easy cleaning and fast disassembly
The best pump depends on more than the product name alone. Flow rate, viscosity, solids content, suction lift, pressure, temperature and the way the pump will be installed all affect the final selection.
If you are unsure which pump is right for your application, contact the Vitis & Winemakers team with details of the product you need to transfer, the required flow rate and your operating conditions. We can help you identify the most suitable pump technology and configuration for your needs.