Seguin Moreau Cooperage
b y
Terry Sullivan
Summary: When in Napa, California, take a short break from wine tastings and visit the Seguin Moreau factory. You will have the opportunity to observe the ancient art of barrel-making from the forming of the barrels with fire, water and force to the sanding and packaging of a finished barrel.
A large oak tank sits near the entrance to Seguin Moreau in Napa. Tours at this cooperage are offered Monday through Friday at 9:00, 11:00 and 1:30. Observing the making of oak wine barrels is fascinating. If possible try to spend some time at Seguin Moreau.
The tour begins with a short video in a small reception room. The video explains the harvest of wood from centuries-old forests, the cutting and splitting of the wood and the making of staves. The staves are left outside in the weather for three to four years. They are then brought to the cooperage where fire, water and force fit them together to form a barrel. In this reception area there are examples of a cut section of a tree, a quarter section and a stave.
The tour continues into the factory where the barrels are created. The first stop is the most amazing. Pits of fire on the floor are fed oak chips and unwanted oak scraps to keep the fires burning. Around the fires, wood staves, held by a metal circular form, slowly warm and slightly begin to bend. A cooper sprays water onto the wood and places a hoop around the wood staves and uses a mallet to force it down. This helps shape the barrel and fit the staves closely together.
Some barrels have a certain amount of toast added to the inside of the barrel. These barrels are placed over the fires and the cooper determines the degree of toast. It reminded me of placing bread in a toaster and watching it toast. The longer it is in the toaster the darker it becomes. We were entranced while watching this century- old process. The art of cooperage has changed little in thousands of years.
The next section of the factory was an assembly line. The large room was bright with many workers at different stations along the line. It was a stark contrast to the first room that was darker with the orange glow of fires casting dancing shadows on the walls. In this part of the factory, barrels are sanded on the outside. The original hoops are removed and new hoops added and sanded to a shiny silver. The end pieces are added and the bunghole is drilled. The barrels are inspected as they travel along the assembly line. Finally they are wrapped in plastic and are ready for shipping to a winery.
Unfortunately, during the tour in the factory, we were not permitted to take photographs. The photographs used in this article showing the fires in the barrels were donated to us by other cooperages. It is quite noisy in the factory and difficult to communicate. Signs are set along the walkway for those taking the tour to read a description of what is happening.
This tour is one for everyone in the family. Although children are often bored in winery tasting rooms, the will marvel at the fire, water and sounds of hammer hitting metal. This is a great stop for everyone to learn about an art that survived since the Bronze Age.
