BUILD A BARREL

The Pièce bourguignonne

The barrel was formerly used for transporting wine, today it is used for aging wine.
The oak barrel has different roles: If the barrel is new, its wood will transmit its tannins and aromas to the wine that comes from this aging process. If the barrel has already been aged for several years, it will transmit fewer aromas to the wine. It will therefore be used to help slow down the oxygenation process of the wine.

The barrel, called “Piece” in Burgundy, is made up of wooden slats held in place by strapping. The oak wood is selected, prepared then dried into staves. The wood will then be worked, assembled and heated before the installation of retaining circles.

THE STEPS OF MANUFACTURING AN OAK BARREL

The selection of wood: As a raw material, wood determines not only the quality of the barrel but also that of its aromas.
Splitting the logs: Once the oak wood has been selected, the wood is in log form, i.e. raw, unsquared wood. It will then be transformed into boards: the staves.
Drying the staves: Several years of rest in the open air will be necessary to remove the bitterness and astringency while refining the aromas and tone of the wood.
The transformation of the staves into staves: Once the staves have reached maturity, they are transformed into staves which will form the wall of the barrels.
Setting the rose: This is the step of assembling the staves, united in a truncated cone in a metal circle.
Heating: Once assembled, the barrel is heated internally to allow the wood to be bent. Heating will allow the wood to cook deeply and give it all the aromatic qualities that will allow it to pair with the wine.
Manufacturing of the bases: The bases, cut and assembled by dowels, are manually inserted into the jable using a lag screw.
Tightness check: The tightness of each barrel is checked after manufacturing by introducing hot water under pressure.

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