PRESS RELEASE

August 4 , 2004
Amie Boswell Dewane
(707) 255-5900
amie@worldcooperage.com

Innovative Barrel Profiling Technology Studied by International Winemakers at World Cooperage’s 6th International Barrel Symposium

Forty-eight winemakers from across the globe gathered in Missouri recently for the 6th International Barrel Symposium hosted by World Cooperage and the Boswell family. The event centered on the fourth-generation cooperage’s Barrel Profiling Toasting Technology.
Introduced to provide the industry’s most consistent barrel with repeatable flavors, today Barrel Profiling is a tool for creating tailor-made, custom toasts. A digital sensor monitors the toasting temperature inside each barrel and transmits the reading to a computer. The monitor displays the temperature readings and compares them to preprogrammed time and temperature process curves that specify the barrel’s profile. Process curves are developed based on research findings by oak expert Dr. James Swan in Scotland and multiple process curves exist, each with their own sensory profiles. The collected data allows coopers to precisely control the toasting process in a reliable way. By matching the toast to a predetermined curve, coopers can toast barrel after barrel with highly consistent results. As the Symposium participants would learn, this means dependable flavors for winemakers. It also increases capabilities for custom profiles.

Frédéric Bonnaffous, Chateau Belgrave, CVBG Dourthe-Kressmann and Olivier Sempé, Domaines Lapalu, evaluate the sensory impact of Barrel Profiling during the Wednesday and Thursday tastings
During the Barrel Symposium, winemakers gained a deep understanding of the technology through tours and tastings. They toured World Cooperage in Lebanon, Missouri, learning each stage of the coopering process, culminated with individually toasting their own barrels to their desired profiles. This gave them a hands-on understanding of how precise the computer-monitored toasting process can be. It also explained how the cooperage can custom design and toast barrels for specific varietals. Many participants indicated this exercise as the highlight of the week’s events.

After experiencing the toasting technology firsthand, winemakers were able to evaluate the sensory effects of specific toasts and profiles. They attended technical tastings which showcased World Cooperage’s current barrel profiles, as well as custom toast profiles tailored for wineries by request. Tastings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon from various wine regions around the world were conducted to evaluate toasting’s impact on varietals. World Cooperage demonstrated that they can make a repeatable barrel that gives winemakers the specific flavors they want to complement individual wines, wine programs and vineyards. Providing this level of control to wineries adds a new dimension to winemaking.

After the presentations, the group headed to St. Louis, Missouri for the Grand Tasting Finale at the Ritz-Carlton. Symposium participants were able to showcase their own wines to over 200 trade participants, including retailers, distributors, and restaurateurs.

The Symposium was hosted at The Lodge of the Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri and sponsored by World Cooperage. Wineries from France, Italy, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Chile, and the US were represented. Participants were gratified with the range of experience and opportunities the week brought: the unique hands-on coopering experience, the chance to network with other prominent winemakers, plus showcasing their own wines in St. Louis.
Winemaker Eric Aafedt, Bogle Vineyards, toasts a barrel using Barrel Profiling Technology
Director of Winemaking at Renwood Winery, David Crippen, pours for over 200 wine buyers at the Grand Tasting, Ritz-Carlton St. Louis