TÖRGGELEN AT TRATTERHOF

As the woods around Meransen take on rich autumn shades and the days draw in, South Tyrol welcomes Törggelen season – a much-loved tradition built around good food, good company and the gifts of the harvest. 

Here at Tratterhof, we join in this celebration with four special evenings on 21 and 28 October and again on 4 and 11 November 2026, when our chefs take traditional South Tyrolean dishes and give them a creative spin, bringing classic seasonal flavours to cultivated culinary standards.

Did you know that Törggelen has its origin right here in the Eisacktal valley? 

The custom goes back to our farming past. After the autumn harvest, farmers, farmhands and neighbours would gather to taste the new wine and share a meal together. It was a chance to celebrate a successful harvest, thank everyone for their hard work and dine in good company. 

The name itself hints at the origins: Törggelen comes from the term Torggl – the old wooden wine press. In fact, people used to meet and sample the new wine in the very wine cellars where the grapes were pressed. 

What started as a simple rural custom grew over the centuries into one of South Tyrol's most popular autumn traditions. Especially here, among the Eisacktal valley’s vineyards and chestnut groves and in its traditional Buschenschänken (farm inns), the practice is still kept very much alive today. 

A proper Törggelen meal is part and parcel of this tradition. Historically, people served whatever the farm, fields and cellars had to offer, paving the way for a distinctive, hearty style of cooking. 

The meal usually starts with a warming barley soup, homemade Schlutzkrapfen (stuffed pasta) or dumplings. This entrée is followed by hearty meat dishes such as Surfleisch (cured pork), spare ribs and farmhouse sausages served with a side of sauerkraut. For dessert, Keschtn – as we call roasted chestnuts here in South Tyrol – are an absolute must, alongside Bauernkrapfen – sweet doughnuts usually filled with poppy seeds or jam. 

These traditional dishes are usually accompanied with fresh grape must, known as Süßer, and of course new wine, which we call Nuien. 

But Törggelen isn’t just about good food. It’s about the joy of coming together and making time to celebrate the simple pleasures of autumn.