Renewed Barrels

Recovering the hidden value in your oak wine barrels. Rewine’s process is based on sound science: remove the layer of neutral oak from the interior of the barrel to expose new oak fibers, vaporize and extract the remaining polyphenols and release the oak compounds from the freshly exposed new fibers through thermal degradation allowing them to bond with wine chemicals.

how our process works

Our renovation process consists of 5 steps:

Mechanically removing about 5mm (3/16”) of wood from the inside of the barrel (including heads) using a proprietary shaving machine and hand tools. This removes the color, sugars and dissolved solids and exposes fresh wood fibers.
Thoroughly heating the barrels to a minimum of over 200F through out the staves (up to 380F in the interior) with electric convection elements to vaporize all remaining VOCs and any biologicals.
Toasting to the desired level - Light, Medium Light, Medium, Medium Plus or Heavy.
Re assembly of the barrels and hydration to insure water tightness.
SO2 gassing and plastic wrap. Barrels are hydrated and sterile and ready to be filled anytime within 4 to 6 weeks without rehydration.

Don’t have barrels? We’ve got you covered.

We are constantly updating our stock with neutral barrels from wineries throughout Oregon, Washington and California. In fact, many of our customers prefer our barrels over new barrels, and have build their barrel programs exclusively on Rewine Barrels. If you have a preferred cooper, region or grain structure, we will gladly work with you to sort your choices from our stock. Call, text or email anytime and we’ll get to work!

Step One: Opening Barrels

First, the barrels are “opened,” meaning the heads are removed and set aside. This will allow us to thoroughly clean the inside of the barrel.

Step Two: Shaving the Barrel

With both proprietary tools and an artisan’s touch, we sand the outside of the barrel for aesthetics, then begin removing the saturated wood inside the barrel. This removes the color, sugars and dissolved solids and exposes fresh wood fibers. The end result looks nearly identical to a brand new barrel, or often with a more “finished” look.

Step 3: Toasting

After shaving, the barrel goes to the toasting room, where the real magic happens. By thoroughly heating the barrels to a minimum of over 200F throughout the staves (up to 380F in the interior), we vaporize all remaining VOCs and any biologicals. We achieve the requested toast levels with both the intensity of the heat and the duration of the exposure-it’s art and science.

Step 4: Closing the Barrel

After toasting, it’s time to close the barrel up. Since the head go through a different shaving and toasting/sterilization process, they need to be refitted to their specific barrel. They are then placed back into the croze, a tricky maneuver that takes lots of practice to get just right!

Step 5: Hydrating the Barrel

Once the barrel is sealed up and the hoops are pressed down tight, it’s time for hydration. Every barrel that come through Rewine get filled to the brim, then left for 24 hours to ensure that it is water tight. As the oak absorbs water, it swells up and plugs most gaps (which is pretty neat to observe). Any remaining leaks get corrected by our expert team of barrel surgeons.

Step 6: Gas, Stamp, Wrap

Once the barrels are hydrated, they just need a few final touches before we’re ready to send them on their way. This includes nailing the hoops into the barrel, stamping the date and toast level, gassing with sulfur dioxide, and wrapping in plastic to preserve moisture content. We also offer extra sanding and end hoops for that showroom quality look at a very reasonable price. After that, they’re loaded into the truck and on their way to you!

New Barrels

If our renewed barrels do not align with your project goals, or you’re not yet ready to take the plunge, we are happy to offer new, top quality French oak through our friends and partners at Tonnellerie De Saint Georges. Nestled between Cognac and Bordeaux, their lumber is processed at the Merranderie Bertrand, sourced via the Centre, Alsace, Lorraine and Limousin forests, and is PEFC-certified.

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Oak Dips

The lifespan of the barrel continues…

Oak dips are an economical and practical way to extend the life of your neutral barrels. Each dip has 16 separate toasted stave pieces daisy chained together using food grade netting that provide the surface area of approximately 1/3 of a 225l barrel. These chains are attached to a bung, making it easy to control the amount of oak influence on your wine. We proudly offer Oak Dips in French, Hungarian, American and Oregon oak, and toasting levels from light to char.

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