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BARRELS assuring the quality and repeatability of unique toasting profiles, a cooper (left) at missouri cooperage in lebanon mo., monitors the toasting pro- cess by time and temperature. Couture Comes to Cooperage themselves from competitors by featur- ing barrel-customization options tailored to their clients' specific wine programs. From the coopers' points of view, custom options help keep flat barrel prices from further decline by offering added value and a higher level of customer care with- out additional charge. It's like buying an individually tailored suit for an off-the- rack price. T ough market conditions for wineries have led coopers to be innovative when dealing with buyer price resistance during this flat barrel economy. Coopers are distinguishing This is a stark contrast from an era when winemakers had fewer custom options—and, in some cases, had to buy multiple barrels to reach a minimum pur- chase requirement. Thankfully minimums are largely a thing of the past, and total customization is becoming more common. For winemakers with specific style goals, this is truly the ideal market. TonnellerieSirugue_Dir10 11/20/09 12:08 PM Page 1 toast of the town Winemakers can now select from myriad toast choices far beyond good ol' medium toast and medium toast-plus. Jason Stout, global sales director for Cooperages 1912 in Napa, Calif., represents both T.W. More coopers willing to tailor oak to winemaker specifications By Kerry Kirkham Boswell and World Cooperage, which, he mentioned, has a dizzying array of 111 toast profiles. Some of these profiles can be explored on the World Cooperage website by clicking the "barrel profiling" option. Toasting profiles are categorized by grape variety and separated into French and American oak. For winemak- ers concerned with repeatability, profiles are tracked and charted by toasting dura- tion and temperature. Some profiles also have detailed sensory descriptors. Hybrid trend Francois Peltereau-Villeneuve of Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage reported, "By Vineyard Supplies Rue François Appert – P.B. 95 21703 Nuits Saint Georges France Natural Air-drying French Oak Exclusive U.S. agent: Françoise Gouges 2343 33rd Street – Santa Monica CA 90405 Tel: 310-403-8398 Fax: 310-988-2835 E-mail: francoise@sirugueusa.com 34 Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 201 1 America's Choice For Vineyards, Wineries & Orchards Since 1986 Supplier for: • Trellis Supplies • Training/Tying Supplies • Wildlife Control Solutions • Harvest Supplies • And So Much More! Orchard Valley Supply inc. www.orchardvalleysupply.com 888-755-0098 No Vines... No Wines... Just Everything In Between® WORLD COOPERAGE