Foudrerie François

OAK CASKS, VATS & ROUNDS

Foudrerie François design and manufacture oak vats and casks in all sizes, shapes and capacities, from 10 to 300 hectolitres and beyond.

Foudrerie François is the first choice among leading Australian and New Zealand wineries for the design and manufacture of handcrafted round or oval casks and upright vats.
 The combination of optimal stave supply from our own source, modern and technically advanced Foudrier and flexibility to customise to suit your precise requirements make Foudrerie François the perfect choice for vinification and maturation.

Incorporating into our Oak products the finest quality valves and fittings, doors, traps and other accessories we are able to constantly break new ground, thereby making our products practical to use and perfectly adapted to modern wine methods.

Technical Data

LOCATION

› Brive, France
› 45°09’36.40″N
› 1°29’19.26″E

CLIMATE DESCRIPTION

› Rainfall: 901mm per year

TEMPERATURE RANGE

› Mean high: 21°C
› Mean low: 1°C

BARREL SIZES SPECIFICATIONS

› Made to measure, 1000l to 100,000l

SEASONING DESCRIPTION

› Minimum 24 month
› 36 month

BENDING PRACTICE FIRE/STEAM/WATER

› Extended light toast over open flame.

GRAINS

› Medium Open Grain

TOASTS

› Light toast for extended period

Cask Preparation

Oak casks and vats can dry during transportation. For an oak vat, we advise you to add 15-20 cm of water in the bottom of the product on the first day. For an oak cask, we advise you to add water to the bottom of the front door.

Be careful, it is important to use clean, filtered and un-chlorinated water.

The following day, fill entirely the oak cask or vat with water and sulfur (0.5 liter of SO2 with a concentration of 6%, per cask or vat). This step enables the oak cask or vat to swell and ensure the waterproofness. It is necessary to look after storage of the water. The water might remain clean.

Sometimes, it is preferable to wait a few days and check if the appeared leaks vanish. Once the leaks disappeared, we advise you to tighten the stainless steel accessories by half a turn.

Then, you can empty the oak cask or vat. It is ready to be used.

Cask Maintenance

After vinification, use a steam generator such as “Barriclean” for 2-3 minutes per HL to descale the oak casks or vats. Then, rinse with clean water.

Be careful, do not use high pressure cleaner. This kind of material can damage the wood fibers.

If the oak cask or vat is not used for a few weeks or months, let it dry with the upper manholes, front doors, valves opened, in order to enable good ventilation. This step is very important because a good drying process will avoid mold proliferation.

The use of chemical products is formally not recommended. You could risk damage to the sides and stainless steel accessories of your oak casks or vats. However, you can use an alcohol solution such as “brandy” to sterilize your oak casks or vats.

Olfactory and visual controls might be regularly done. Regular checks can detect if mold proliferates.
Furthermore, never remove the stainless steel accessories directly fixed to your oak casks or vats. You could cause leaks when the accessories will be fixed again.

Product List

1000 Round
1500 Round
2500 Round
3500 Round
4500 Round

1000 Oval
1500 Oval
2000 Oval
2500 Oval
3000 Oval
3500 Oval

1500 Upright
1800 Upright
2000 Litre Upright
2500 Upright
3500 Upright
4500 Upright

Customer References

Some recent François Foudrier customer references

FRANCE

Bordeaux
Château Lafitte Rothschild
Château Branas Grand Poujeaux
Château Clarke
Château La Couspaude
Château Franc-Mayne
Vignobles Janoueix Jean Philippe
Vinobles Magrez

LANGUEDOC-ROUSILLON

Domaine de Cazeneuve
Mas Laval
Château Pech-Latt
Mas Jullien

PORTUGAL

Real Companhia Velha
Granacer
Fundacao Eugenio de Almeida

CANADA

Le Clos Jordanne
Hidden Bench

CHINA

Changyu
Shanxi Rongzi

VALLÉE DU RHÔNE

Guigual
Domaine de Beaurenard
Clos des Papes
Cave de Tain l’Hermitage
Domaine Philippe et Vincent Jaboulet
Domaine du Père Caboche
Domaine du Grand Tinel
Domaine Darnaud
Domaine des Remiziéres
Château des Fines Roches

BOURGOGNE

Domaine de Guillaume
Domaine de Villaine

SPAIN

Finca Allende
CVNE
Marco Real
Huerta de Albala
Tabula
Bodegas Victoria
Clos Mogador
Venus La Universal
Dominio de Bibeï

CHILE

Clos Aspalta

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Currently used in over 30 wineries in
Australia & New Zealand

SUD-EST

Domaine d’Ott
Domaine Tempier
Domaine Trevallon
Château Simone

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne Veuve Cliquot
Champagne Moët & Chandon
Champagne Selosse
Champagne Roederer
Champagne Philipponnat
Champagne Carpentier

ITALY

Tua Rita
MASI
Lamole
Querciabella
La Caccia
Torrevento
Tenimenti Luigi di Alessandro

USA

Mondavi
Hundred Acres
HDV Wines
Ferrari Carano
Heitz
Stonestreet
South Africa
Blaauwklippen
Marianne Wine Farm
Nederburg