The artistry of cooperage and winemaking is a genuine friendship. And like old friends, there is widespread agreement among coopers and winemakers that the success of most wines depends a great deal upon the barrel in which that wine is aged.
A master cooper can build a barrel with nothing but hand tools from the log to finished product. Along with that experience is a wealth of knowledge of the finer points of barrel-making, such as where to source wood as well as how (and why) different woods are used to create different wines.
Those who have spent decades in cooperages have fashioned barrels created from woods sourced not only from the United States but also as far away as France, parts of Eastern Europe and even Japan. While white oak is dominant in the cooperage industry, there are some rare uses of woods that include acacia, chestnut, cherry tree and exclusive species. Combine the cooper’s experience with that of a winemaker and the result is what wine consumers taste from the glass and feel on the palate.
With some 30 years of working with wood, few know more about making barrels for wineries than master cooper Russ Karasch, who has taught the industry to his daughter, Heidi Korb. The result is Minnesota’s Black Swan Cooperage, launched in 2009.
Karasch is responsible for the company’s unique styles of barrels, including a patented HONEY COMB® Barrel, which he invented. While most of Black Swan’s clients are craft distilleries and breweries, Karasch is a living library of the kind of knowledge upon which coopers and winemakers thrive. A vital part of that knowledge, Karasch says, is an understanding of different kinds of wood, their origin and their impact in making multiple types and varieties of wines.
“Quercus Petraea and Quercus Robur are European Oak, French Oak, Hungarian Oak and German Oak, as well as other countries. Quercus Alba is the main American Oak. However, there are many sub-species of Quercus Alba. It used to be (that) most winemakers preferred French Oak but, as we advance in technology and learn what the wood does and doesn’t do, by toasting and treating the wood in different ways, we are ending up with some phenomenal wines using all the woods. It used to be if you made red wine, you would use this wood, or white wine you would use (that) wood. We are advancing in knowledge in both wine and wood, so the rules are changing.”
It is no coincidence that master coopers like Karasch understand the language of winemakers because both professions require a blend of art and science.
Another case in point is Kentucky-based Canton Cooperage. Founded in 1933 and acquired in 1998 by Chene & Cie (owners of Taransaud Cooperage of Congac, France), the company benefits from the experience of master coopers who, with a cumulative total of more than 600 years in the business, have a keen understanding of what winemakers need and want. Canton Cooperage operates from a platform of social responsibility, sponsoring an apprentice program in local schools and partnering with American Forests, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reforestation.
Enologist Bruno Remy, Sales Manager and Vice President at Canton Cooperage, explains why the wood of choice for most cooperages is oak and why most wineries prefer it.
“Oak wood is prevailing in the cooperage industry due to its positive physical characteristics to make staves, to give the shape to the barrels and no leaking. Most importantly, due to its richness in many interesting molecules, the wood will bring structure and flavors to the wines or alcohols. In addition, the wood offers a certain porosity to allow oxygen and other gas to pass through the staves, in and out.”
Remy points out that there are several elements that winemakers take into consideration when choosing barrels and the different woods used to make them.
“A barrel should have a positive impact for the use of fermenting or aging a wine. The choice is coming from the flavors that you will look for, size of the barrel, the percentage of new wood in your final blend, time for aging in the barrels, cellar conditions to store the barrels (temperature, moisture).”
Black Star Farms, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near the four-season resort town of Traverse City, understands these multiple considerations. The award-winning, family-owned winery sources from cooperages that provide barrels derived from American, French and Eastern European Oaks. Winemaker and Managing Partner Lee Lutes explains the reason for such careful diversity.
“We use French Oak exclusively for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as they simply have an affinity for one another that is time tested and consumer ‘qualified.’ We use two other primary barrel types, American and Eastern European, for other reds, such as our Red House Red, our Merlot or our Cabernet Franc. These two types of oak tend to have more spice and tannin to them than French, which works well with these bolder red wines.”
In the case of barrels made from American and Eastern European Oaks, Lutes adds that the attention to detail used to select these types of barrels is driven by knowing the cooperages that produce them and the source of the actual wood.
“We tend to prefer American Oak that either comes from Minnesota or Missouri, as these tend to be tighter grained barrels (from slower growing trees), but with good spice. The EE (Eastern European) barrels we prefer tend to come from Hungary, as they provide some cocoa and coffee tones that are very complimentary to deeper red wines. Different coopers source from all of these regions, so there is much to choose from for wood sourcing. There are specific coopers we prefer, but most in the industry are quite good and make solid barrels.”
Jeremy Santo, Winemaker for Washington’s Mercer Wine Estates in Yakima Valley, agrees. The fifth-generation winery sources barrels from 14 cooperages. Santo emphasizes the mutual trust and respect that winemakers and cooperages share.
“Why do I use the cooperages I do? The obvious answer is they make amazing barrels. But the relationship is the most important part. My favorite cooperages are also my friends. This allows for a relationship that you can collaborate and ask questions on what’s the best type of barrel for which wine. The coopers know what they are doing. They guide me in the direction to make the best wines.”
Santo echoes a recurring theme shared by Lutes and Remy when it comes to selecting which barrels to use for different varieties and even styles of wines. The type of wood used, size of the wood grain and toast levels are all key factors, he says.
“I like to use French Oak primarily on higher quality fruit. French Oak tends to add nice sweetness to the mid-palate of wines without overt oak aromas and flavors. French Oak allows the fruit of the wine to shine as well as providing sweetness to the mouthfeel. The American Oak I like also adds a lot of mid-palate sweetness but has more of the roasty, toasty, marshmallow and vanilla characteristics that’s perfect for mid to entry level wines. For higher tier/reserve wines, I lean more towards French Oak (tighter grain wood). The tighter grain wood allows for longer aging of the wine. The oak impact is gradual/slower, so the wine can age longer and develop flavors/aromas over a longer period of time. For reserve quality wines, you have more time to age unlike the $15 to $20 bottle of wine which is made to drink ‘now’.”
The question of using staves is met with mixed results, despite the lower costs as compared to barrels. According to Remy, staves can be installed in tanks, mimicking the use of barrels, adding micro-oxygenation. He adds that the actual quality of today’s staves is much higher than, say, 20 years ago, due to technology and the knowledge of how to select better oak wood, how to season the wood and how to apply precise toasting.
In contrast, Santo opts out of using staves and prefers oak cubes, citing ease of use and faster more, efficient extraction of oak impact of the wine, while keeping aromas and a nice feel on the palate intact.
As for oak barrel alternatives, Santo favors using oak cubes in tanks to achieve more oak impact on lower priced wines.
Another wood barrel alternative is Karasch’s latest patented invention, called Squarrels. ® The play on words describes a customizable, square, steel, stackable barrel, using wood only where it’s needed, saving winemakers time and money.
Most of these experts agree that over time, a traditional barrel loses its potential to release flavors in wine roughly after four to six years of use. When barrels become “neutral,” some wineries simply use them to add the breathing factor. Once retired from winemaking, barrels can be reconditioned for spirits, flooring or even furniture.
