Where will the evolution of the barrel shape go?

Since the time of the Romans, the wooden barrels that replaced the clay amphorae, the shape of the barrel was fixed. With the well-known shape, slightly “inflated” in the middle, which allows for easy handling, the differences that existed in the wine regions were limited to the capacity (Cognac 205 lit., Bordeaux 225 lit., Bourgogne 228 lit.). Until recently!

With an innovative proposal, Seugin Moreau changes the facts. On the occasion of the Vinitech exhibition in Bordeaux he presented a spherical barrel named Galileoak.

Made with 55 mm thick oak staves, the 15 hectoliter capacity rests on a futuristic base and features a transparent porthole that enables the winemaker to monitor the evolution of the contents. As the manufacturer states, the thickness of the wood preserves the thermal inertia of the wine, the spherical shape facilitates the movement of the wine evenly in all directions and the evolution sur liees acquires a new dimension.
And biodynamic barrels

For followers of biodynamics, the cycle of the heavenly bodies has a decisive effect on living beings. Plants and by extension oak trees do not escape this rule. With this in mind, the Sylvain cooperage offers its customers the first biodynamic barrels.

According to the studies of Ernst Zurcher, an expert in the structural analysis of trees, the properties and strength of wood change with the secular cycles. The trees are cut according to the lunar calendar, i.e. in winter and when the moon is waning and the juices do not overwhelm the trunk.

The barrels are made by experts trained in the principles of biodynamics.