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112 p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d n O v e M B e r 2 0 1 4 b O O k e X C e R P T seeping from western Pennsylvania's sedimentary formations. Wooden barrels of 42-gallons (159-liters) capacity were used to transport the crude oil from the wellhead to refineries for conversion into oil for heating and lighting. As the need for oil as fuel overtook its original me- dicinal uses, millions of these barrels were employed. Today, the thousands of tons of oil rest- ing in the vast holds of a supertanker steaming through the Arabian Gulf are still measured in barrels, though the original wooden containers have long since vanished. That tanker's capacity is measured in tons, from the French word meaning large barrels or casks. Long before twist tops on beer bottles or pull tabs on aluminum beer cans, beer was aged, transported and dispensed from barrels. Pork meat used to be trans- ported in barrels, too; the term "pork barrel" now implies, in the United States at least, the transportation of money to a Congressman's home district. Barrels were also used to transport coins, and if one was "scraping the bottom of the bar- rel" it was to find any remaining cash. Before the common use of glass for wine bottles, wine was transported and stored in barrels, then dispensed though Summary Do ancient wooden barrels, which have been discovered lining water wells in Great Britain's Roman-era villages, have anything to do with French oak wine bar- rels today? The answer is most assuredly yes. Those ancient barrels were the 2,000-year-old forerunners of wine barrels today. They were built by French coopers, and after being utilized to ship wine from Bordeaux to Great Britain, were employed for any number of containment, ship- ment or aging applications. The ancient European craftsmen, exploiting timber resources with their iron tools, evolved and developed into coopers and the current cooperage industry. This is an industry that, over the past two millennium, would build millions of barrels for a multitude of commodities. All this activity ultimately contributed to the high level of craftsmanship that is epitomized in the barrels and casks sitting in cellars and chai today. For the winemaker and winery staff, comprehending this historical perspective helps to sort out the many choices of barrel styles, wood sources and toast levels. For the winery marketing personnel, understanding the intimate co-existence in which barrels have transported, stored and aged wine for more than 2,000 years assists in explaining and promoting wine to consumers. In Wood, Whiskey and Wine: A History of Barrels, Henry H. Work explores how barrels have been developed and adapted to the requirements of the world's changing economy. Focusing on wine barrels, the book addresses the art of the cooper and discusses the process of aging different types of alcohol. Work also examines how barrels have survived under threat from plastics, card- board and metals, all the while containing not only wine and whiskey, but numer- ous other products from apples, coins and cement to sugar and Tabasco sauce. 444 Laguna Vista Road Santa Rosa, CA 95401 e-mail: vickitec@aol.com www.transitionequipment.com Tel: (707) 537-7787 Fax: (707) 537-7174 Cell: (707) 484-8776 Your source for informative technical books. ORDER TODAY! www.PracticalWinery.com and click BOOKSHELF