1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910822217203321

Autore

Work Henry H.

Titolo

Wood, whiskey and wine : a history of barrels / / Henry H. Work

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London : , : Reaktion Books, , 2014

London : , : Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), , 2023

ISBN

1-78023-417-1

Edizione

[First edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (239 pages)

Disciplina

674.82

Soggetti

Food - History

Whiskey

Wine

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction  1. Need: Why Wooden Barrels?  2. Evolution: From Buckets to Barrels  3. Celts: A Nexus of Skills and Technology  4. Romans: Employing the Barrels for Trade  5. Middle Ages: A Surge in Barrel Use  6. Parallels: Wooden Barrels and Wooden Boats  7. Organizations: From Guilds to Cooperages  8. Oak: Wood for Barrels  9. Air, Water and Fire: Crafting Wooden Barrels  10. Wine: Barrels and Oak Ageing  11. Craftsmen: The Coopers  12. Other Barrels: Spirits, Fortified Wines and Beer  13. Oak Flavouring: Oak Alternatives and Barrel Shaving  14: Cooperage: The Bigger Picture  References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

Sommario/riassunto

Barrels - we rarely acknowledge their importance, but without them we would be missing out on some of the world's finest wines and spirits. For over two thousand years they've been used to store, transport and age an incredibly diverse array of provisions around the globe. In this comprehensive and wide-ranging book, Henry H. Work tells the intriguing story of the significant and ever-evolving role wooden barrels have played during the last two millennia.    After first being crafted by the Celtic tribes of Northern Europe, barrels became intrinsically linked to the use of ships and grew into a vital and flexible component of the shipping industry. They were used to transport not only wine and beer, but nails, explosives, whale oil and even Tabasco



sauce. Now this cylindrical wooden container and its relations - including its smaller cousin, the keg - are perhaps best known for their role in the process of ageing different types of alcoholic drinks. Today's fine wines and spirits are still aged in oak barrels made by coopers, but mass-market products are more likely to be stored in containers made of plastic, cardboard or metal.    Offering a new way of thinking about one of the most enduring and successful products in history, Wood, Whiskey and Wine will be a must-read for everyone from technology and history buffs to wine and whiskey aficionados.