Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/95545
WINEMAKING (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) and other haloan- isoles such as TeCA and TBA, can con- taminate wine as well as corks. While it is debatable how much of a risk barrels pose when it comes to contamination, wine- makers commonly ask coopers: What do you do to ensure that risk is minimized? "The cooperage industry has come a long way from 10 to 20 years ago," said Chris Hansen, general manager at Seguin Moreau Napa Cooperage. Hansen said the company first certified its production process in 2004. "We've been doing this for quite some time," he said. TCA is an unseen threat, but Wines & Vines recently surveyed winemakers who said that additional concerns include blistering and other flaws. If wineries are paying top dollar (or euro) for quality barrels, they expect them to arrive in pristine condition. Barrel Quality Control T Coopers continue fight against contamination threat By Andrew Adams he mere chance of TCA contam- ination in new barrels has kept pressure on coopers to continue production methods that ensure total control and traceability. The taint from TCA Highlights • Many coopers use a hazard analysis and critical control point plan (HACCP) to avoid the possibility of microbial con- tamination in their production processes. • Look for third-party verification of a quality production plan as well as testing results from a lab to confirm a cooper's commitment to quality production. • Stave quality is still mainly ensured through visual inspection, but one French cooper is using its own mechani- cal procedure in an attempt to eliminate the problem of blisters from toasting. 36 WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 Preventing taint through certified plans To ensure barrels are free of contamina- tion and flaws, many have developed a HACCP, or hazard analysis and critical control point plan. Such plans are used by a range of industries vulnerable to micro- bial contamination or companies looking to demonstrate a commitment to quality production. Coopers and other production companies also adhere to ISO 9001:2008 the international standard for quality production. Once these plans are in place, third-parties like Bureau Veritas certify that they are being followed. Most high-quality barrels are marked with a bar code or number that the cooper or customer can use to trace the barrel from reception to production and even the source of the raw materials. "Really, traceability 15 years ago was the cooper's memory," said Mel Knox, who sells barrels by tonnelleries Taransaud and Francois Freres. Bruno Remy is vice president and sales manager for Canton Cooperage, which has adhered to a certified HACCP plan since 2006. He said the chance of con- tamination means that the company needs to be ready to protect its products and its business as well. "We know it could be a problem, and when you know things are happening you need to be ready," he said. "You can be implicated in the problem." Just as a high-end winery is going to want to protect its investment, Remy said the cooperage wants to protect itself from any claims contamination came from the barrels. Both Canton and Seguin Moreau work with Bureau Veritas, a global firm based in Paris that was founded in 1828 to offer reports about the sea worthiness of com- mercial vessels. The huge company has of- fices across the globe and provides testing and certification in a variety of industries. Tonnellerie Saury's controls are certified through the Lloyds Register of Quality As- surance (LRQA.) The company states on its website that its production plants are certi- fied to through a HACCP to ISO standards. Saury is part of the Groupe Charlois that in- cludes barrel makers Berthomieu, Ermitage, Leroi and a cooperage in Cloverdale, Calif. A worker at the Seguin Moreau cooperage in Napa, Calif., inspects the inside of a barrel for cracks and blisters using a light mounted on the floor. Since 2007, Groupe Charlois has em- ployed its "Naturaleza" protocol devel- oped by a French lab and describes it as similar to a HACCP process. The plan calls for testing its water supply, atmosphere and all incoming materials including machine lubricants, lighting, insulation and pallets. At a stave factory in the town of Varzy, France, the company claims workers weed the landscaping by hand to ensure pesticides don't come near the wood supply area. Because the group has an integrated production chain from staves to finished goods, coopers like Saury say they have better control of quality. Cooperages 1912 posts a HACCP plan, certificates of quality and lab results from haloanisoles testing online. The company's HACCP plan applies to the Independent Stave Co. cooperage in Lebanon, Mo. (ISC is the parent company of Cooperages 1912.) The plan, certified to comply with ISO standards, outlines basic steps to ensure the production areas are clean, well orga- nized and that chemicals don't come into contact with materials or finished prod- ucts. It specifies that cleaning products