Introduction:
Wine is one of the oldest forms of alcohol and has been cherished by humankind ever since Noah got off his ark and discovered a goat acting intoxicated around many fermented vines. On trying and realizing just how fun the feeling of intoxication is, he brought back many vines and created the world’s first winery. Ever since then, wine has been widely consumed by Europeans and has been very popular among the Greeks and Romans. However, at the time, they used to transport their wine using clay amphorae rather than wooden barrels. It was just before 100 BC when the Romans conquered Gaul, which is present-day France.
After the invasion was complete, they noticed that the locals used wooden barrels to transport their beer. They decided to do the same for their wine since the clay amphorae were fragile and brittle, making them difficult to transport over longer distances. After adopting the method of transporting wine in wooden barrels, people realized that the wood, especially oak, gave the wine a nice distinct taste and flavor. Since then, Oak barrels have always been favored when making wine to store and age them since the longer the oak is in contact with the wine, the more enhanced and distinct the wooden flavor would be.
Wine Barrels:
Ever since barrels were adopted to transport and store wine, wine barrel making as a craft has become extremely precise and integral to the winemaking process because when the wine is kept to age in these oak barrels, the alcohol can absorb the flavor profile of the wood and retain that taste which becomes stronger and more complex the longer the wine is allowed to age in the same barrel. For this to happen, barrels need to be extremely well constructed and designed in ways that make the aging process as efficient as possible. This gave rise to coopers. Coopers are the people who specialize in making wine barrels.
A Cooper workshop where he builds the barrels is called a cooperate, and each part of the barrel has a specific name. Every barrel must contain these elements as each of them play an important role in helping the wine age while storing and preserving it. The head of the wine barrel refers to the circular top and bottom ends of the barrel. The barrel ends are generally stamped with a mark of the cooper and his cooperage or the logo of the winery. A chime refers to the edges of the barrel connecting the body to the front and back.
The chime is usually a beveled edge and is made up of staves that make up the barrel’s main portion. A Stave is a narrow strip of wood, and multiple such strips or staves are used to make the body of the barrel, which leads to the chime and then the head. Hoops are the metal slats used to help the barrel keep its shape and keep the staves in place. Hoops are further given different names depending on what part of the barrel they are positioned near. Some hoop names are Head/Chime Hoop, Quarter Hoop, French Hoop, and Binge Hoop.
A Bilge refers to the widest part of the barrel that is usually the middle of the barrel and is made up of staves. A Bung Hole is a hole made in one of the staves that can be used to empty or fill the barrel. When not needed to be used, the bunghole is plugged up by a bung, which serves the same purpose as a cork to a wine bottle. It keeps the wine inside and prevents any spillages.
Barrel Sizes:
While the parts of each barrel are the same, and each barrel contains all the components mentioned above, barrels can vary in size in terms of the barrel’s carrying capacity. A barrel can be as small as 30 gallons or as big as 300 gallons. The different names of barrels depending on size are mentioned below.
Demi Barrique – 30 US Gallons
Bordelaise – 59.4 US Gallons
Bourguigone – 60 US Gallons
Cognac Barrel – 79 US Gallons
American Oak Hogshead – 79 US Gallons
Puncheon – 132 US Gallons
Demi-Muid – 158.5 US Gallons
Foudre (not technically a barrel) – 300-32k US Gallons
As far as winemaking goes, the most commonly used barrels are the Bordelaise and the Bourguigone barrels,
Barrel Dimensions:
For a typical 60 Gallon Barrel, the dimensions are as follows. These dimensions can be increased or decreased to either increase or decrease the capacity of the barrel.
Conclusion:
Winemaking is an exact and delicate process requiring specific temperatures and time settings to ensure each stage is perfect for getting the most out of the fermented grapes and vines. Since the production process itself is supposed to be so meticulous, it stands to reason that the container used to store the wine after being made must be of the same standard. Only the best wine barrels are used to age the wine since a good wine barrel can give taste and body to the wine that an average wine barrel just cannot, no matter how long you leave the wine in there.
This is why wine barrel making is an exact art form, and there are very few coopers who supply the barrels for most wineries in one area, making this industry a difficult one to get into. However, as is the case with any other industry, you will get the results and sales you seek if you do good work. Therefore only by giving significant time and effort to practice and perfect the art of making wine barrels can one get into the market and have barrels that sell and are used to store and age wines. Who knew it takes so much to get a good bottle of fine wine in the end?
title: “Perfecting Wine From The Vines To The Barrels” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Judy Walker”
Introduction:
Wine is one of the oldest forms of alcohol and has been cherished by humankind ever since Noah got off his ark and discovered a goat acting intoxicated around many fermented vines. On trying and realizing just how fun the feeling of intoxication is, he brought back many vines and created the world’s first winery. Ever since then, wine has been widely consumed by Europeans and has been very popular among the Greeks and Romans. However, at the time, they used to transport their wine using clay amphorae rather than wooden barrels. It was just before 100 BC when the Romans conquered Gaul, which is present-day France.
After the invasion was complete, they noticed that the locals used wooden barrels to transport their beer. They decided to do the same for their wine since the clay amphorae were fragile and brittle, making them difficult to transport over longer distances. After adopting the method of transporting wine in wooden barrels, people realized that the wood, especially oak, gave the wine a nice distinct taste and flavor. Since then, Oak barrels have always been favored when making wine to store and age them since the longer the oak is in contact with the wine, the more enhanced and distinct the wooden flavor would be.
Wine Barrels:
Ever since barrels were adopted to transport and store wine, wine barrel making as a craft has become extremely precise and integral to the winemaking process because when the wine is kept to age in these oak barrels, the alcohol can absorb the flavor profile of the wood and retain that taste which becomes stronger and more complex the longer the wine is allowed to age in the same barrel. For this to happen, barrels need to be extremely well constructed and designed in ways that make the aging process as efficient as possible. This gave rise to coopers. Coopers are the people who specialize in making wine barrels.
A Cooper workshop where he builds the barrels is called a cooperate, and each part of the barrel has a specific name. Every barrel must contain these elements as each of them play an important role in helping the wine age while storing and preserving it. The head of the wine barrel refers to the circular top and bottom ends of the barrel. The barrel ends are generally stamped with a mark of the cooper and his cooperage or the logo of the winery. A chime refers to the edges of the barrel connecting the body to the front and back.
The chime is usually a beveled edge and is made up of staves that make up the barrel’s main portion. A Stave is a narrow strip of wood, and multiple such strips or staves are used to make the body of the barrel, which leads to the chime and then the head. Hoops are the metal slats used to help the barrel keep its shape and keep the staves in place. Hoops are further given different names depending on what part of the barrel they are positioned near. Some hoop names are Head/Chime Hoop, Quarter Hoop, French Hoop, and Binge Hoop.
A Bilge refers to the widest part of the barrel that is usually the middle of the barrel and is made up of staves. A Bung Hole is a hole made in one of the staves that can be used to empty or fill the barrel. When not needed to be used, the bunghole is plugged up by a bung, which serves the same purpose as a cork to a wine bottle. It keeps the wine inside and prevents any spillages.
Barrel Sizes:
While the parts of each barrel are the same, and each barrel contains all the components mentioned above, barrels can vary in size in terms of the barrel’s carrying capacity. A barrel can be as small as 30 gallons or as big as 300 gallons. The different names of barrels depending on size are mentioned below.
Demi Barrique – 30 US Gallons
Bordelaise – 59.4 US Gallons
Bourguigone – 60 US Gallons
Cognac Barrel – 79 US Gallons
American Oak Hogshead – 79 US Gallons
Puncheon – 132 US Gallons
Demi-Muid – 158.5 US Gallons
Foudre (not technically a barrel) – 300-32k US Gallons
As far as winemaking goes, the most commonly used barrels are the Bordelaise and the Bourguigone barrels,
Barrel Dimensions:
For a typical 60 Gallon Barrel, the dimensions are as follows. These dimensions can be increased or decreased to either increase or decrease the capacity of the barrel.
Conclusion:
Winemaking is an exact and delicate process requiring specific temperatures and time settings to ensure each stage is perfect for getting the most out of the fermented grapes and vines. Since the production process itself is supposed to be so meticulous, it stands to reason that the container used to store the wine after being made must be of the same standard. Only the best wine barrels are used to age the wine since a good wine barrel can give taste and body to the wine that an average wine barrel just cannot, no matter how long you leave the wine in there.
This is why wine barrel making is an exact art form, and there are very few coopers who supply the barrels for most wineries in one area, making this industry a difficult one to get into. However, as is the case with any other industry, you will get the results and sales you seek if you do good work. Therefore only by giving significant time and effort to practice and perfect the art of making wine barrels can one get into the market and have barrels that sell and are used to store and age wines. Who knew it takes so much to get a good bottle of fine wine in the end?
