Wine Tributaries
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

This educational enlightenment tok place in the Mendocino Cooperage's new production facility a testament to the state of the art technology combined with the traditional insights from the past. As one drove into the facility, one could not help but notice the stacks and stacks of oak staves sitting outside, seasoning in the elements.

When an oak tree is cut down, the tightest grained logs are used for the production of wine staves. They get measured to the right lengths, cut, and a hydraulic wedge is used to obtain "stave-sized" pieces of oak called "billets." These "billets" are shaped with a band saw, and then planed to a uniform thickness and stacked in ways to allow maximum exposure to the elements.

All of the wood used in the production of American oak barrels is brought to a seasoning facility in Southern Kentucky. With its high average humidity and mild year round temperatures, it provides the perfect conditions to season the wood. The stacks are sprayed with water for the first two months of stacking and left to season for a minimum of two years. During the curing of the wood, cellulose is transformed into lignin, which helps develop aromatics in the wine. The tannins in the wood are also affected by this prolonged aging by leaching out some of the harshness by the wind and rain, leaving a softer more supple oak characteristic to impart into the wine.

Following a tenuous two years, the staves are cured to the point where they are ready to be shaped into a barrel. First, a stave planer is used to smooth and round the rough staves. Next, they go through the "jointing" process where the staves are made to be wider at the middle than at both ends, which are cut to the same size. After jointing, staves are loosely arranged in a symmetrical barrel pattern. Then, a metal hoop is secured around the bottom leaving all the staves unbent at this time. After being inspected, a second hoop is tightened around the middle to hold the barrel together. The oak staves, which are straight and stiff, need to be bent into the shape of a barrel, and to do so they must be softened by applying heat and water for about twenty minutes. The heated barrel is taken to a winch where a cable is secured around the flared end and tightened so a hoop may be placed on the other end of the barrel.

At this point in time, the barrel is open on both ends with metal hoops holding all the staves together making the barrel shape. One end of the barrel is place over a "toasting pot" that looks like a cylinder you would use to start briquettes for your barbecue. As the fire burns in the toasting pot, the barrel gets flipped over numerous times to ensure that you get an even distribution of heat in the barrel. The length of time and heat of the fire determine the color and intensity of the "toasting" in the barrel.

When winemakers order barrels from the cooper, they request, light, medium, medium plus, or heavy toast on the barrels, depending on the type of wine to go in the barrel and their personal preference of toasted character.

Once toasted, grooves are cut into each end of the barrel so that the "head" can be secured into its ends. The heads are drilled and doweled together with reeds placed between them that act like gaskets to prevent leaks. The head is then tapped into place and galvanized hoops are secured around the heads to help prevent leaks. A pressure test of water and air pressure is used inside the barrels to identify any potential leaks. Once tested, the barrels are ready for sale, but first they undergo a bit of a manicuring where they are sanded, branded, wrapped in plastic and sent to a warehouse until they find a new home in a winery.

Mendocino Cooperage barrels are use in wineries located in California, Washington, Oregon, Australia, France, and other countries around the world.

As if seeing these barrels assembled before your very eyes was not enough, we all sat down to a tasting of three different wines, a 1998 Chardonnay from Fetzer, a 1998 David Bruce Pinot Noir, and a Jekel Vineyards 1997 Merlot. The interesting thing in tasting each of the wines was the only variable in each flight of wine was the wood it was aged in. The same Chardonnay was put into a West Virginia oak barrel (medium toast), a Missouri oak barrel (medium toast), and a Minnesota oak barrel with medium toast.

The aromatics and flavors from each of the barrels were unique and distinct. A show of hands by the winemakers present indicated that there was no clear cut favorite, but each barrel had imparted its own signature to the wine that was read differently by each pallet that tasted it. We tasted the Pinot Noir and the Merlot in the same type of format and gained valuable insight as to what oaks we liked best and how they worked in harmony or discord with different varietals.

After observing this incredible procedure of aging woods and building the barrels, tasting the different characteristics imparted by oak grown in different areas, and by the different cooperaging techniques, one walked away with a new appreciation of the art and skill it takes to produce barrels. Crossing over a little bridge by a creek while leaving the event, filled with more oak knowledge than anyone could consume in a day, there stood a mighty oak tree. Instead of admiring its beauty, we wondered how many barrels would it make and what would the wine taste like.

© 1999 by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner. All Rights Reserved. Wine Tributaries is hosted by Wines on the Internet.