Turning wine barrels into furniture
Big, round, wooden -- wine barrels might seem simple, but in truth they are a crucial winemaking element for many of the Northwest's most prized wines.
Careful thought goes into their production, selection and use, yet their lifespan is quite short with retirement at the ripe old age of 5. Unfortunately, there are no senior homes for out-of-work barrels.
So what happens to old barrels once they have worn out their winemaking welcome? There was a time when the only option for reuse were by local gardeners as flower pots. But lately, more entrepreneurial-minded folks have found treasure out of trash and viable business out of an industry byproduct. Furniture items such as chairs, tables, bar stools, candleholders and Lazy Susans are making their way out of the barrel rooms and into businesses and homes.
Gary Bertrand, retired social studies teacher at Newberg (Ore.) High School has lived in Dundee, Ore., since 1973 and has seen the Willamette Valley wine industry grow up around him. Along with that growth also has been waste -- of barrels that is. Bertrand, who has done custom woodworking for more than two decades, started incorporating retired barrels into his craft during the past three years. He, like so many others, appreciated the idea of cutting used barrels in half for use as a planter, but felt there was a way to improve on the post-wine life of these creatures.
"We were down in Temecula (Calif.), wine tasting and I saw some furniture made with oak barrel staves, and I thought 'This has got to be a much better way to use old barrels,' " Betrand said. "I saw something that had been done with the barrels that could live on much longer."
With that, GB Woodworks was born. Bertrand buys the barrels from local wineries including Chehalem, Rex Hill and Laurel Ridge Winery, where he also works part time. GB Woodworks features beautiful furniture such as elegant Adirondack chairs, functional coffee tables, long benches and playful bistro tables. The wood proves its pedigree with a patina from the wine it once contained, and the furniture ranges from $175 to $500.
Laurel Ridge in Carlton and Red Hills Market in Dundee sell and display the furniture, and other area businesses -- including Alexana Winery in Dundee and The Le Puy Inn in Newberg -- have purchased pieces for their guests' enjoyment. Much like the barrels he repurposes, Bertrand, as he puts it, is "Keeping busy in retirement."
To better understand the life of a barrel and its ultimate repurposing, it is helpful to know where they come from and how they are made. The origins of their use can be traced to Mesopotamia when palm wood was used. They were produced so that wine could be transported along the Euphrates River. The need to manufacture a barrel that was easy to transport and effective at holding wine led to experiments with different types of wood.
Oak, in use for the past 2,000 years, became popular during the Roman Empire and continues to hold its position as the wood of choice.
Starting at which tree from which forest to use, barrel production is a tenuous process with several steps and decisions each affecting the quality and character of the final product; much like winemaking.
Barrel makers, called coopers, are the artisans in charge of production. Trees used for wine barrels average around 100 years old before they can be harvested, with one tree providing enough wood for two barrels. Usually weighing between 120 to 150 pounds empty and 740 pounds full, a barrel's contents are equal to 59 gallons or about 25 cases (300 bottles) of wine.
Wine barrels are a costly investment for a winery and do not retain their value. A new French oak barrel costs between $800 and $1,800, while American oak barrels fetch $500-$800. So, you can see why it hurts so much to simply throw them away after only four or five vintages.
Several other Northwest furniture producers such as Wine Designs, Vinoture and even wineries themselves are repurposing retired barrels. Wine Designs was first started by Brian and Pam Ropp as a hobby but has since turned into a sustainable business focused on repurposing old barrels into furniture. Ropp started messing around with some ideas just a year ago.
"In January 2011, I purchased a couple of barrels, tore them apart and started experimenting in my garage making stave candle holders and little things like that," Rupp said. "The more I worked with staves, the more I got interested in making tables and other types of furniture."
He sold a few and then a few more, and then more. People loved his work, so he purchased more barrels and opened a store in September 2011 at the Mission District in Cashmere, Wash.
Vinoture in Whitefish, Mont., offers products such as coat hooks, light fixtures, bar stools and tables, all from repurposed barrels. He sources from more than 200 Washington wineries, including Basel Cellars, Dunham Cellars and Pepper Bridge in Walla Walla. Part of the extraordinary beauty of these products comes from the stains imparted by such vibrantly colored wines as Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot, which are expressed in deep purple and red tones.
And in Prosser, Wash., Jarrod Boyle, owner of Alexandria Nicole Cellars, unsure of what to do with his leftover barrels, decided to try the furniture route. "It was a good use of the barrels that we were no longer using for winemaking and also allowed to keep a few guys employed during the winter months when the vineyard is slow," said Boyle, who uses and sells his furniture at his tasting rooms in Prosser, Woodinville and his Destiny Ridge Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills.
So, the next time you see a weathered wine barrel in someone's garden, think of the venerable white oak tree in the heart of a French forest and how it grew up to become a barrel and helped make the wine you love.
And consider all the great things it could have been -- other than a planter.
Jennifer Cossey is a freelance writer and somellier who lives in Dundee, Ore. Learn more about her at jennifercossey.com.
This story was originally published June 15, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Turning wine barrels into furniture."