the french toasters are at it again

I just finished ordering barrels for this year’s harvest.  As if life isn’t complicated enough these days, the French have found a way to make oak barrels more complicated than it needs to be.  After years of ordering French oak barrels by forest (i.e. Allier, Nevers, Troncais, etc.) they have a new system.  Or at least some Coopers do.  The word on the street is that the French Terroir Police are on high alert that some unscrupulous coopers are selling barrels with wood from places other than what is stated on the barrel.  So many coopers are now selling barrels by grain tightness instead of by forest or source of origin.  Yet other coopers are still selling barrels by forest just like in the past.  As always with the French, there is much disagreement about the true nature of all this forest business.  The different stories I hear accomplish one thing for sure: Winemakers are talking about the changes and wondering what all the fuss is about.  The coopers are getting a lot of PR over this although it is unclear whether it is ultimately positive or negative.  If you ask me, the French have certainly created and shared with the world many great things, not the least of which are wine, art, food and fashion.  But more than anything else is one certainty, the French are great Marketers! -- by Tim

Comments

[Western Australia Wines]

So are the French Coopers being sly by getting around the forest of origin issue by instead selling by grain tightness or is this just much ado about nothing? Curios.