How oak barrels are made.
Making a barrel is not a time-consuming process, but it is an ancient art form. A good cooper can make one or two barrels a day. It is an ancient craft because the technologies and manufacturing processes have not changed much in the last 1000 years.
The first step in barrel production is choosing the tree. This is usually American oak, French oak, or sometimes Hungarian oak. If we are talking about American oak, it was probably grown somewhere in Iowa, Missouri, Ohio or Kentucky (USA). The French oak grows in the forests of Alliers, Limousin, Nevers, Vosgues and Troncais (France). Once the cooper cuts the trees, they are put outside for two or three years to be well dried by the seasons. It is necessary to let the work of time produce the desired aromas, such as vanilla. This will also help winemakers achieve the much sought-after oaky taste.
You wonder where the cooper comes from. It comes from an ancient Latin (cupa) or German (kupe) word, which means barrel in both languages. Over the years, the word transformed into cooper and is used to describe a person who makes barrels.
Once the wood is treated, a master cooper assembles about thirty staves of different sizes (usually a combination of thick, thin, and medium walls) under the metal hoop and tries to shape the opposite end of the staves symmetrically, putting more and more hoops on the staves.
The barrel must then be "toasted," meaning that a flame gently burns the inside of the barrel. Coopers choose a medium level of toasting, but for white wine, for example, a light level of toasting is sufficient. The Cooper knows that the high level of toasting will usually be used for bourbon. Once the diameter is measured, the cooper cuts two circles from the flat wood and places them on the hoops and assembles it: the barrel is finished!
The liquid ages in the barrel for a year before being removed. After the first fill, the liquid tastes the most woody; after the second filling it tastes mostly of vanilla; The third fill is considered neutral; therefore, it is the last fill. After that, the big companies sell the barrel either to smaller wineries or to people who like to age their own creation or spirits at home.
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