About 670 years ago, wine was pressed here by the weight of oak wood: in a village about 15 kilometers east of Stuttgart, archaeologists have discovered the remains of the oldest known tree press facility in Baden-Württemberg. In addition to traces of this construction, the remains of grape traces from the 14th century also bear witness to medieval wine production in southern Germany, reports the State Office for the Protection of Monuments in the Stuttgart Regional Council (LAD).
The view is directed towards the village of Kleinheppach, still situated among vineyards in the valley of the River Reims, which flows a few kilometers to the west into the Neckar. It was already known that the South German viticulture tradition goes far back: this is attested in historical sources dating back to 1284. Early in the history of the discovery, which is now also documented archaeologically, was the demolition of a wine press at Kleinhepch, which dates from the 18th century. Before the new building was built, an archaeological investigation had to be conducted to determine whether the remains of a much older predecessor were sleeping in the ground. Because there were signs: written sources from 1581 speak of an “old wine press” in Kleinhepch, the former location of which was not known until now.
As revealed by investigations by LAD archaeologists, the excavation site was in fact the traditional site of a wine-pressing facility of a wine village: they found traces of several earlier buildings, as well as traces of various functional elements. The oldest were the remains of wooden structures that have fortunately survived for centuries. It became clear that two mighty, rectangular oak beams were set up at once and placed in a pit – a so-called Dokkenloch. According to archaeologists, it can be assumed that they carried a trunk.
heavy wood crushed grapes
This in turn shows that it is a remnant of a tree press system. According to this, the timber construction found probably represents the so-called back dock, prior to this form of a press. Along with the dock in front, another pair of beams, it fixed to the trunk of a heavy tree. Due to its weight, pressure was exerted on the material to be pressed according to the principle of a one-armed lever. In the 20th century this type of tree press system was still used for wine or fruit juice.
To clarify the period in which the remains of construction at Kleinhepch date, the wood from which both beams of the previous dock were made was examined by dendrologists from the LAD. They succeeded in tracing the last annual ring chronologically and thus dating back to the felling of the oak tree shortly after 1344. The oak forests thus represent parts of what is now the oldest known tree press in Baden-Württemberg.
Remains of pomace with potential for archeology
As LAD further reports, extensive areas with several similar pits next to the wine press building also attracted the attention of archaeologists. They are located at the foot of the slope of the “Kleinheppacher Köf”, which still has vines today. As it turned out, waste from the medieval tree press plant was apparently deposited there: archaeologists discovered well-preserved remains of grape remains produced during pressing – the so-called pomace.
Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the material dates back to the 14th century. This pomace is the oldest ever found in southern Germany, writes LAD. Ingredients include the seeds of many grapes, parts of the stalks and skins of grapes. In turn, these remains have exciting potential for further research into the history of wine culture in southern Germany: the LAD concludes that the variety and degree of reproduction of the grape remains to be determined on the basis of various analyses.
They: State Office for the Protection of Monuments in Stuttgart Regional Council
