Education
“Roll Our the Barrel” Final Verse
by Stephen Pavy
The art of the barrel is what we will focus on in this article. We have discussed how barrels influence and change the wines stored in them. But I don’t want to overlook the barrel itself. It is really a work of art.
Barrels were first invented and used for wine by the Romans. Prior to this time, wine was stored in amphora (Greek clay vessels) and goat skins. These storage methods were crude and really didn’t keep the wine very well for very long. Once barrels were used, wine was easier to transport and keep in storage. And, the remarkable transformation of wine stored in wood barrels began to change the nature and quality of the wine.
There are numerous kinds of barrels: export barrels (made for transportation and are thicker and stronger than normal barrels, usually 300 to 600 liters); Chateau barrels (thinner and lighter staves, often having willow hoops on the ends and a “headboard”); Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels (usually around 228 liters for the Burgundy and 225 liters for the Bordeaux barrels; their shape are just a bit different and account for the volume difference); puncheons (usually 500 liters and up); plus many different sizes of custom barrels and tanks for fermentation and longer term wine storage.
European barrels, most notably French barrels, are made from the oak species Quercus petraea or Quercus robur. American barrels are made from a different oak species, Quercus alba and in the case of Oregon barrels, Quercus garryana. These different species account for some of the different flavors imparted by French versus American barrels.
Wood is harvested from select forests and then split, usually by hand, and then air dried for 2 to 3 years to reduce the water content from 75% to around 15%. Open air-drying exposes the wood to rain which leaches some of the bitterness and astringency. Some barrels are made from wood that is quarter sawn (by machine) and kiln dried as well, though these are largely American barrels. This more mechanized process results in different flavors in the wood.
At a cooperage, the wood is cut into the correct sizes for staves or for the heads and the barrel begins to take shape. The wood is heated by direct fire or steam and the wood is bent into the correct shape. Iron hoops are used to keep the barrel staves together as it is built. No nails or glues are used in barrel making: it is all high quality, hand woodworking that goes into each barrel! Small bent nails are used to hold the hoops in place, but other than that, the fitting of the barrel together so that it is tight and doesn’t allow leaks is all done by hand-crafting.
Once the barrel is half-way finished, it is toasted. The goal here is to caramelize the wood rather than char or blister it. This process decreases the amount of wood phenols and increases the concentration of aromatic compounds. Raw wood flavors are replaced by more complex flavors like vanilla, coffee, spices, toast, butterscotch and caramel, and coffee. This process is also part of the craft of the barrel maker: each fire is carefully built and may contain a “secret” recipe of ingredients (wood shavings, chips of wood, types of wood for the fire). Toasting can also be done by a gas fire. Toasting amounts can range from light to heavy and any amount in between.
A finished barrel is then tested for leaks and when this is done, it is ready for delivery.
If you plan a trip to the wine country, consider trying to schedule a trip to a California cooperage. They are offered, but are by appointment only. It is possible to schedule a tour and see how barrels are made. This is just one more part of all the amazing skills and crafts that go into making each bottle of wine. Enjoy!
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