Effects of pectinase addition and different pre-maceration technologies on physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of persimmon wine brewed from two cultivars, Amahyakume and Jinpingshi, were investigated. Results showed that pectinase addition significantly promoted increases of clarity and malic acid, meanwhile reduced titratable acid and color intensity in persimmon wine. Moreover, it induced remarkable increases of predominant phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in wine. These improvements were also found under three pre-maceration treatments, among which thermovinification showed the best effects as nine different phenolic profiles increased significantly as determined by HPLC analysis. Furthermore, combination treatment of thermovinification and pectinase addition resulted in the highest phenolic concentration and antioxidant potential, reducing content of acetic acid. In addition, changes caused by different treatments were almost similar in two cultivars, whereas Jinpingshi wine possessed prevalent higher phenolic contents and antioxidant activity than Amahyakume wine. Practical application Persimmon wine possesses high development prospects as a deep processing product of persimmon industry. Constant improvement of fermentation technology in wine-making provides essential fundamental supports for industrialization of persimmon wine. This study investigated the influence of pectinase addition and different pre-maceration technologies on physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of persimmon wine. These results could conduce to the establishment of optimal conditions for producing persimmon wines with desired beneficial compounds.