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During the 13th century B.C., the tribes of the Northern Danube and the Balkans came to Bourgogne. They were called the Celts. They were skilled in pottery, carpentry, iron working, and precious metals. The Celts were the inventors of the keystone (Roman buildings were made of stacked stones). In Gaul, we find bread ovens, heating ducts, caves and church foundations.
Wasn't the barrel already invented ?
After hollowing out tree trunks in order to make casks, men begin to bend planks to construct the casks. Thus, using heat to bend the planks of wood was discovered.
Later we will see how barrels are made
In effect, 350 years before Christ, the Celts elaborated on this rounding process to make barrels capable of handling more force (when rolling) and weight (top-down). This is the barrel with the Latin name “Dolium” which can be interpreted as “round”. During this period the barrel didn't evolve much and was always made with the same techniques. The barrel, to Gallic specifications, contained 1,000 liters. In addition to serving as a container for transporting liquids, it was used to transport precious metals, powders, pigments, sulfur, etc. It was also used for holding fish, olives, jam, mustard, vinegar, and pickles.
Italian merchants profited from the Gallic passion for wine. By boats traversing waterways or by chariots traveling the plains, they transported wine from which they derived incredible benefits. They went as far as exchanging an amphora for a slave, relieving the buyer of his servant to pay for the drink.
Starting in 70 A.D., under the rule of Tiberius and Titus, the vessel became known as a “tank” but the Latin word “Dolium” specifically designated a barrel. Thus the Romans called large, earthen vases “Dolia”. Towards the end of the reign of the Caesars, beyond the Cevenne mountains, the Allobroges of the Vienna region in the valley of the Rhone chose a type of grape which was acclimated to their region. This variety of grape, “allobrogic”, was grainy and resistant to frost. This made several hundred kilometers of territory to the north suitable for grape cultivation. At the same time, in the plains of Aquitaine towards the Gallic region, another grape variety, “biturica”, flourished in Bordeaux.
Could it be said, then, that the noble Bordelais drank merrily
while the beggar took his booze ?Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as “Pline L'Ancien”, noted the appearance of a curious container conceived especially for wine in the regions close to the Alps: “the wooden barrel”. It was used in cold areas while elsewhere people preferred to place the wine in baked, earthen vases. The barrel became inseparable from wine, from its fermentation to its transportation. In regions where cellars were constructed, it was easy to store the barrels. Some archaeological research has found cooper's tools – wooden buckets dating to 100 B.C.
Until World War II, the cooper was the master of the cellar. He fermented and cared for the wine and tended to the cellar. After the war, the wine maker replaced the cooper and took over the cellar for himself. Since about 1950, transportation has been done in metallic containers. Following that, the replacement of wood with modern containers flourished. Thus, little by little, wine was placed in bottles and boles no longer enjoyed the usage they once had.But, not to displease the fans of cement, iron, or plastic,
wood is indispensable for the storing and aging of wine and alcohol.The carbonic gases and volatile ethers which mask the aromas of wine evaporate through the wood. A genuine transformation is observed in the wines and alcohols. After a very long period, a slow, elegant oxidation through the porous wood will make wine lose its astringency and harshness giving it a velvety suppleness.
Red wines arrive at a hotter color and lose their purplish-blue qualities. White wines become clearer. Alcohols achieve their beautiful amber coloration and sweet fragrance.
Behold the Gallic discovery which led us toward the cooper trade
Choosing and working of the wood
The choice of wood is the most important part of the work of the cooper. It is necessary that the wood deliver a good flavor, doesn't leak, is resistant, has a certain softness that lends itself to bending, and releases some of its tannins. Oak fulfills these requirements the best.
It is always the wine maker, in cooperation with the cooper, who chooses the wood
which conforms to his tastes and to the wine which he wants to make.A horizontal cut along the trunk of the oak shows that it is formed, at the exterior, by a circular layer: the bark; then, traveling towards the interior: the phloem (descending vessels), followed by the sapwood or young wood (ascending vessels), and then the heart with a soft part called marrow at the center. The wood has a fibrous texture and it is composed of particles in the form of fibers. One fiber is ten times longer than it is wide.
It's the existence of these fibers which interests the cooper.
The shook :
The shook, or wooden staves, is split wood placed over mesh, that is to say, like beams resembling bone marrow. In splitting, the fibers are all separated respective of their use. Split staves have the advantage of not letting liquid seep through, which could happen, quite fatally, if one used wood sawed against the grain of the shook and the fibers.
Split wood is not susceptible to atmospheric variations – on the other hand,
sawed planks shrink during dry weather and swell during humid weather.Preparation of the staves :
Only freshly felled wood is used. The trunks are cut lengthwise into staves to form the shell and the top and bottom pieces... They are blocks of wood which make up the shook. With the help of wedges, the blocks are broken in two, then each half block is split into quarters like beams of marrow, each quarter is always split again taking care to follow the fibers. Defects such as knots, warts, warping, and worm-holes are rejected.
Stacking and drying the shook :
For natural drying the shook must be stacked and left in a space that allows air to circulate sufficiently. It is essential to use completely dry wood: if the wood isn't completely dry the joints between the staves will shrink and won't hold back the liquid; the blocks of wood will expand when they are subjected to changes in temperature or under pressure from the fermenting liquid.
In order to get perfect drying, it is necessary to use the natural drying process by letting air flow freely; thus, it is preferable to have this done by a professional.
Steps of fabrication :
- Splitting * Drying * Smoothing
- Rosing * Firing * Trimming
-Darkening * Waterproofing * Finishing
Rosing Drying Firing
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