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BARRELS Barrel Consistency and Seasoning Winemakers discuss what's most important to them when sourcing oak By Andrew Adams E ach year seems to bring another new toast, barrel style, hybrid option or even new type of wood for winemakers to consider when buying barrels. The many options can make the process of choosing barrels a somewhat daunting prospect. So how should winemakers choose the best barrel supplier? "Who throws the best party at Unified," joked one winemaker. Wines & Vines spoke with several experienced winemakers who have been evaluating barrels for years about how they want barrels to complement their wines. These experts also discussed what part of the cooperage process—from forest selection to toasting—they feel is the most crucial to achieve those sensory characteristics. Not all barrel-buying decisions are about oak forests or toasting regimens. Several winemakers stressed that it's crucial to work with cooperage representatives you can trust. "I think the key element is having that good relationship with the cooper," said Darel Allwine, the winemaker at Col Solare winery in Benton City, Wash. "It's really through that critical relationship with the winemaker and the cooper that they understand what we're looking for as far as a style of wine." Jeff Cohn experiments with two to three different coopers each vintage. Cohn was WORLD COOPERAGE Good barrels come with good relations Straight oak trees without low-lying limbs, knots or other defects are ideal for barrel production. the winemaker at Rosenblum Cellars for several years before leaving in 2006 to focus on his own winery, JC Cellars, in Oakland, Calif. "I've seen a lot of changes in what coopers are doing," Cohn said of his trials. "For me, I've learned what cooperages really Highlights • onsistency is arguably the most important factor winemakers look for in their barrels. C • any winemakers attribute certain barrel traits to the characteristics, or possibly terroir, M of the wood-seasoning yard. • t's not just where coopers source their oak that's important to winemakers, but how I they treat it as well. 40 W in e s & V i ne s F E B R UARY 20 14 work with what style of winemaking I do.… The wines are always about layers; it's not just that one barrel." He has stuck with a few cooperages because he appreciates the personal relationship. "I buy a lot of barrels from small cooperages, so if I have an issue I'm able to call them up and talk to them about it," he said. Cohn added that some larger coopers like Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage and Demptos Napa Cooperage still offer a personal connection he finds vital. "It's about trust, and you know, it shows in the barrel," he said. Aside from a good working relationship, Cohn said he prizes origin of the stave wood and grain structure. He said, like other winemakers and coopers, he's losing faith in forest designations. And even if all the wood for a barrel lot does come from the Tronçais forest, Cohn said there's bound to be varia-