Good Morning!

Last fall I learned a lot about barrels. I learned about how they were made and it is quite a process and then I learned a ton about the affect the barrels have on the wine. Barrels and yeast are the two biggest factors in how the wine will taste in the end…well, after the grape variety.

I spent time with the folks at Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage. A Cooper is the craftsman who makes and repairs casks or barrels. Most barrels are made from either French or American Oak. Watching the entire process is really like watching a master carpenter and artist. While observing the Cooper I was able to ask questions and I learned this is not a quick study, working to mold and form the wood and then creating a vessel that most wines can live in for years.

To become a Cooper you become an apprentice for years and they really handle all the grunt work while watching and slowly being able to get hands on experience. I think I learned more from watching the assembly and heating and process. The barrels are constantly being “toasted” and heated to get the wood manipulated to the correct shape. The wood “slats” are called staves. I loved watching the Cooper toast the barrels and what I learned surprised me. I found out the less toasting of the staves, the more “flavor” would be imparted into the wine. The more a barrel is toasted the less flavors are imparted into the wine. How I understand it is that once the barrel is more heavily toasted, it creates more of a barrier between the wine and oak, so it soaks up less of the flavors.

After the entire barrel is together they fill it up with water and see if she will leak. I was there for an entire day and I only saw 2 barrels leaking, (they fixed them). The were making about 30 barrels a day that day.

So once a barrel is finished and delivered to the winery and filled with the wine, over time some of the wine will evaporate and they call that the “Angel’s share”. The winemaker, will have to top off the barrel in order to keep oxygen from having time with the wine and possibly causing oxidation.

It was a real learning experience for me. I have a few small barrels and had no idea all that it took to produce a barrel. I thought it was all machine made. I know now, that these are a piece of art, and the more “oakiness” you want to impart into the wine, the lighter the toasting on the barrel. I also learned many wines are in barrels for a very long time to create even more complexity in mostly red wines, but it can also be white wines, many of them being chardonnay.

One thing I learned while making wine at home was this, once you have aged red wine in a barrel, you should not then use the same barrel for white wine…I made Chardonnay after some Pinot Noir, I had the most beautiful rose’ colored Chardonnay ever. D’oh!!!

They say the best oak comes from France and it takes a Cooper years in an apprenticeship to even be called a Cooper.

Have a great day!

Much LOVE and wine,
Tammi

Barrels at UNIFIED booth, look at the size of this one!