Your opinion POLL pick a color

The wine press I'm working on I discovered today that it's made of cherry. Kind of floored me actually. I never expected cherry. I figured white oak, red oak, maple or even hickory but I never expected cherry. Anyway, I wasn't going to stain this but I have changed my mind. However, I seem to be stuck on certain colors that I like. Actually I have already picked the stain I'm probably going with but I would like to see if it matches with others opinions. So here are the three stains I considered. One is Cabernet, one is Cherry and one is Red Chestnut. Which one do you like the best for this application?

Cabernet or chestnut. Either will suit the press just fine.

I personally don't like stained wood.
I'm a oil finish kind of guy. Tru oil or tung are my choices
So my answer to your question is
Non of the above

Cherry

I don't like any of them, sorry Fin Man, but out of the three the chestnut is the sexiest. It would help if you took a pic with the painted/seasoned parts that you will marry with the wood. Just a suggestion.

hunter orange

or pink like your motor sickle

Unless you put a lot of clear coats on it, over the stain to seal it, the grapes and other fruit you press will heavily stain your press.

Keith

Chestnut

Or this

Wow! people on here have opinions on everything yet with 100 views only 3 opinions? Good grief, the participation level here has something to be desired.

Cab

Finster, I tend to be like wet dog, in that I like the natural grain clear coated , to enjoy the natural tones. However, if the wood grain is plain , out of your three choices, I would go with the cherry tone. It seems to be the most clear, allowing the wood grain to be seen a bit better.

In considering what Keith mentioned, it seems your press will eventually get stained anyway, so that being the case, if you don't want it too dark over time, you could either let your produce colour it , or use the lightest stain you have , which would be the cherry , and over time it will darken.

My second choice would be the chestnut.

Cherry but I'm colorblind.

Chestnut.

Red chestnut

The metal components are red right?

Cherry

Chestnut

I really don't care for any of those choices either, lol. I guess Chestnut if I had to pick.

If you are going to use the press I would not stain the wood. Marine Varnish might be okay, I doubt anything else would hold up.
If all the wood is being replaced it would be hard to find a wood more suitable than white oak. You could leave it unfinished and it would last longer than almost anything else. It is great for use where it will get wet and it's very strong. Most all wine barrels have been made for it for more than a century.

X 2

The main body is red but the gears are black. so about 50-50 on what you can see.

If you stay with cherry, try to use the straightest grained pieces you can and trim all the lighter sapwood away. The heart wood is pretty decay resistant and looks better to boot. and like most woods it will get much darker with age-plus the grape juice-I have no idea what it will do to the color.

Of the 3 cherry. It brings out the grain. Are you staining the outside, inside or both?
Me personally I'd probably let the grapes stain it throughout time. If you're staining just the outside Cherry would be my number 1 then possibly cab but not as rich and deep. Wipe off right away so the stain isn't as dark

Ok. Well if your bent on just those 3 choices, I stick with chestnut and then some kind of food grade clear. Like they use on butcher block. Plus the darker you go the less any staining would show.

If it were mine, I would use the cherry stain, but I would give it another coat. Cherry wood will absorb the extra stain, and it will bring out the natural grain even more than what your pic shows, without making it significantly darker.
I dig cherry due to the character commonly found in the grain. Your other 2 choices will diminish the appearance of that trait, I am afraid.