Innovation

Classic Oak Products offers a prestigious selection of quality French oak, Hungarian oak and American oak barrels through our complete range of François Frères, Demptos Bordeaux, Demptos Napa, Trust Cooperage, Brive Tonneliers and Tonnellerie Berger & Fils wine barrels. For almost two centuries we’ve been crafting premium barrels, assisting some of history’s most lauded and favourite wine brands. Through the original research into the interaction of wine, oxygen and oak emanating from the Demptos Research Centre at the University of Bordeaux, this rich tradition has intersected with modern science.

This knowledge has enabled our cooperages to evolve and innovate ensuring we are able to meet today’s needs and future aspirations.

Eco-Impact staves from Quercus

Adding to the established range of Quercus oak adjuncts is a creative innovation in our line of Eco-Impact staves. Featuring a unique patent-approved grooved technology, the design of the environmentally-friendly Eco-Impact staves results in approximately 50% increased surface contact area for your wines, when compared to traditionally cut staves. This allows you to prioritise on faster oak integration, or be able to use less oak to do the same job. These staves provide a sophisticated oak integration and unrivalled value for money.

Representing the finest oak adjunct products, all Quercus products are sourced from sustainably managed oak forests within the François Frères group. The knowledge of the oak forests allows Quercus to trace every product back to its origin, sometimes even to the very tree. This understanding of the origins of their products means that they can maintain the quality, consistency, and reliability of every product in the Quercus range.

Quercus oak adjuncts Eco-Impact staves

Five Star from Trust Cooperage

Fruit driven, richly layered and an opulent mouthfeel describe the results of this revolutionary barrel that combines five toast levels scientifically matched to multiple oak origins.

Scientifically Selected Oak Origins

Working in conjunction with the University of Verona, Trust analysed the retained tannin and oxygen levels in over 50 different oak origins from around the world. That research drives the composition of each barrel whereby each component stave is specifically matched to a toast level based on its unique retained tannin or oxygen profile.

Technical Benefits

  • Balances high alcohol (<14%)
  • Enhances acidic perception in high pH wines
  • Emphasises fruit flavours, minerality and terroir driven characters

Ingénieux French Oak Barrel from Trust Cooperage

The Ingénieux barrel starts with oak from the centre of France that is then shaped into a Blanc and Rouge option. A long seasoning regime and careful coopering provide an elegant barrel. Ingénieux barrel is our interpretation of France.

A long seasoning regime and careful coopering provide an elegant barrel. Whilst we do not focus on any one forest region or specific grain profile, our barrel starts with oak from the center of France that is then shaped into a Blanc and Rouge option.

Descriptors of the Blanc barrel include sweet vanilla, fruit forward, hazelnut, rich mouthfeel and long finish.

Descriptors of the Rouge barrel include, lifted fruit, lineal structure, mocha, and a lingering finish.

OH>15 Oak Barrel from Demptos

Demptos OH>15 is a technological barrel, the result of research carried out at the Demptos Research Centre. Constructed from carefully selected wood, these barrels have the ability to balance wines high in alcohol.

The Purpose

Warm, dry climates with minimal irrigation lead to slowed phenolic maturity and a resulting wine that can tend to exhibit hot or spicy characters due to elevated alcohol levels with potential for acidity imbalance. Although these concerns can be addressed to a certain degree in the vineyard and winery, how do we further improve wine quality and balance of these wines during the process of maturation in the barrel? Demptos Research has examined this question.

Questions concerning linkages

Most of the volatile phenols that cause the impression of hot or spicy characteristics are produced during the toasting of the oak lignin. 90% to 97% of these linkages are type ß-0-4, highly labile structures that are more likely to be turned intophenols. A smaller portion, 3%to 10%, is type ß-ß: more resistant chemical linkages. So the challenge was simple: choose wood containing fewer labile forms in order to limit the spicy effects during toasting. A thioacidolysis method was developed along with GCMS to quickly provide identification of oak wood with these heat resistant linkages.

Respect of the fruit

As a result of this precise targeting method, combined with “average plus” toasting, Demptos research has designed the OH>15™ barrel, a truly sophisticated product aimed at improving the quality and freshness of wines from hot, dry regions. A scientific innovation based once again on traditional know-how, in accordance with the cooperage philosophy. The aim remains the same: to support the maturing process in retaining and expressing all that is best of the fruit of the vine.