The natural flooring is essential to prevent the cellar air from becoming too dry, and barrels suffering from a process called verlechern, which is the drying up and subsequent leaking of the containers. That is how people from Durbach refer to the shrinking of the wood. Not all of the displayed barrels hold wine, but occasionally they are filled with water to prevent the wood from drying up too much.

The ceiling of the cellar is filled in with Holzstakken. These are basic chestnut, oar, or beech woods that utilise a groove to keep the beam in place and are then covered with clay and straw. This clay layer tends to be covered by loose sand from the mountains. The entire structure provides excellent insulation. The cellar remained nearly unchanged for the museum. A new and solid oak beam was the only thing installed as part of the renovation.

Let us now continue with the cellar’s furnishing.

Here you can see a series of beautifully carved wooden barrels, just like one would imagine as a wine lover. They were created for various occasions, for example, as a present for silver weddings, but also included  Primizfässer,  these barrels were gifts to newly appointed priests, which tended to sell them back to the relatives, and that way, received some endowment . The smaller, nearly egg-shaped barrel  was built by a winemaker from Bottenau. After a while, the wine will evaporate from a barrel, that is why this barrel is narrow at the top instead and thus provides only a small surface. The winemaker ensures that the wine is exposed to as little as possible oxygen as possible to prevent oxidation. Too much air in the barrel can also lead to Kuhnen, a biofilm made from a microorganism, which will degrade the quality of the wine. Therefore, the winemaker will test the missing amount of wine by putting a finger through the bunghole. For this, the egg-shaped barrel previously mentioned has a distinct advantage since it makes it possible to establish the missing amount quickly.

In earlier decades, winemakers could often not afford their wine. The wine was not produced in the same amount as nowadays. They had to sell the wine to innkeepers or traders . This small barrel with around 30 litres was the remainder, or rather, the amount a winemaker kept for special occasions and festive days.

On top of the barrels, you can see the . „Gärkacheln“. They are required when the wine must ferment to prevent vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) or other harmful elements from entering the barrel . You can also see the barrel funnels  made from wood in different sizes , a racking, or Soutirage, as well as a Stielkübel, a bucket used to scoop the remains from the barrel. Not every barrel came with a tap; sometimes, so-called  Rieberli  were used. One had to be careful to make sure these  Rieberle taps  were not too loose; otherwise, the barrel would have been empty the next day. Back in the days, wine must, was often stirred. The winemaker was often stirring the wine must with this Rührkette, a stick with an attached chain, before the arrival of the innkeeper or wine trader, to ensure they were paying for the stirred-up yeast as well . . Behind the barrels is the Brothang  . Back then, it was, and still is today, typical for each farm to bake ahead for several weeks. The cellar kept bread fresh, except sometimes during the summer it would start to mould. (Donn hets gheiße – mit schimmligem Brod konsch gut singe), which translates roughly to ‘And then we said – mouldy bread will help you sing well’

The wine press  origins from  early 1800.  The wooden spindle was restored, based on old templates, to its original condition in 2003. An essential cellar device is this small candlestick (but not for the little Darmol man – a character depicted holding a candle used to advertise laxative chocolate.). Essential as cellar light, of course, but in particular, when one had to go down to the basement during autumn when the must started to ferment. Once the light went out, it was about time to open a window, door, or maybe not go down there at all for a while because of the fermentation gases. Hence, basic  candlelight  was used most often, for example, by younger lads that had to clean the barrels – chubby kids had little chance to complete this vital task

The  Bittig  , a cart, was used to transport the grapes but also the finished wine, fermentation mash, and so forth over vast distances.  The  Traubenstößel  , a plunger, was used to mash smaller amounts of berries without having to use the grape mill.

On the other side of the cellar, we can see the different  wine filters, a  corking machine, as well as  bottle filling equipment  , which was in use until the early 1970s and a flow heater for red wine. 

A particularly unique piece is the Entbeermühle, which is the term for a destemming mill. In some areas, it is still advertised as progress, but at the Durbach winery, it was done with this mill as early as 1900. It sure is one of the first machines of its kind. The berries were separated from their stems, which was particularly crucial when producing red wine since the stalks will create a somewhat bitter taste . The large, round tub was typical for the creation of red wine. The mash  (skin and juice of the berries) are fermented together to make sure the wine will take on the colour of the skin – nowadays specific grape varieties are used, for example, Dunkelfelder, or Teinturier, and in some cases, colour is added in small amounts.

Right next to it we see a grape mill like it is still used today on occasion.

At the front, we see various wine pumps that were used to syphon the wine from one barrel into another. The barrels on this side are typical for the more prominent vineyards here in Durbach. It did not matter if the barrels were round or oval in shape. Since cellar entrances were often too small, barrels of this size were often assembled by the cooper inside the cellar.

The wooden bucket  was not only used in the cellar but also during harvest. A barrel ladder made from massive oak woad was also crucial for each cellar since it would not slip as easily. The monkey wrench  is a must for each barrel cellar. Here in the corner is a  syphon. It was used by the cooper to drain the wine by shaking it two-to-three times briefly, inside is a flap for connecting the hose.