Name for a tree press; see under Torggel.
Name (also Torggl or Torkel) for the tree press already known to the Romans in antiquity, which was still in widespread use until the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Latin "torquere" (to turn or stagger), as the tree was lowered by turning. In south-west Germany and Switzerland, the name trotte is commonly used. The Roman politician and writer Cato the Elder (234-149 BC) described the construction of such a press in great detail. The grapes were first stomped with bare feet or crushed with pistons and then subjected to the lever pressure of a 12 to 14 metre long, heavy oak trunk. In...
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Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi