Do you know that? The “borracho” or “odre” (wineskin), made from goatskin, was the method used to transport the grape must? This artefact is one of the few components of wine making, typically Madeiran.

During the harvests, the men, armed with pruning knives and razors, cut the bunches and filled the “vintage baskets”, in wicker, which were transported to the spindle mill, in wood. At the end of the day, after the harvest was over, they proceeded to tread the grapes in the mill, with bare feet and rolled up pants, an arduous task that lasted into the night.

At dawn, they transported the must on their backs, in the “borracho” or in barrels, walking hard paths that led them to the wine cellars, in the warehouses of Funchal.

Credits: 600 Years of Madeira and Porto Santo