Oak barrels evoke images of tradition and quality and lend a touch of class to any cellar. A wine barrel is a cylindrical container usually made from oak and historically used for the storage and transportation of goods. Today barrels are made almost exclusively for the production of fine wines and spirits and used to ferment, age and give a wine an oak flavor. Barrels come in many sizes and qualities although the term barrel is conventionally used for a wooden container small enough to be moved.

The wine barrel is made up of staves shaped into a bulging cylinder, with hoops around it, a flat circular head at both ends, and at least one hole, generally on the belly, for a bung. The mastery of barrel carving is created right on the oak itself. Whole barrels can be carved and displayed in a cradle as or popular barrel “ends” can be designed and readied for wall mounting or shown on a stand.

The Making of a Barrel:
The trees selected for barrel staves must be straight and free of knots. Many of the chosen trees are more than 100 years old and cut during autumn or winter when the sap is low.

Staves:
The wood selected for barrel staves must also be straight and free of knots and seasoned by drying naturally in the open air from eighteen months to two years. The sun, wind, and rain will then help the wood mature. Staves are then trimmed into a double taper and set on their ends within an iron hoop where some cooperages may alternate narrow and wide staves around the hoop to build strength and structure. Next, a strong stave is chosen to be drilled for the bung hole. At this stage there are approximately 33 staves per barrel and looks like a skirt splayed out from the hoop at the top.

The Shaping of the Barrel:
Now the barrel is placed on a small, metal fire pot of wood chips to receive its first toasting. To make the staves more flexible and to keep them from getting toasted too quickly water is sprayed on the inside and outside. During this time the cooper will walk around the barrel knocking down temporary hoops to bend it into shape. Next the cooper wraps cables around the bottom of the barrel to cinch up the base and then places another temporary hoop to bring the base together. A second toasting may be needed depending on what the winemaker orders. Toasting gives wine the much sought after aromas (vanilla, almond, and caramel).

The Head of the Barrel:
To make the head of the barrel, five or six head staves are fitted together with either stainless steel headless nails or wooden dowels. In between each stave is a tule reed which acts as a gasket. The head is then cut to size and placed in a groove in the inside of the top and bottom of the barrel. A ball of dough (flour and water) can be used as glue to set the head into the groove (called the croze).

Final Polishing:
After the heads of the barrels and the final galvanized hoops have been fitted, the barrel is planed and polished. Finally, the barrel is tested for leaks by putting water in it and pressurizing it with air. If there are any leaks, the stave may have to be replaced. Coopers will make sacrificial barrels at the beginning of the day, just in case parts of a new barrel need to be replaced. The cooper then applies his brand as proof that the barrel has fully met all standards of quality.