Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/89494
WINERY newest at WineSecrets in Sebasto- pol, Calif., which began operation in August 2012. WineSecrets president Eric Dahl- berg said the company has dedi- cated space at its facility for barrel storage and Phoenix services with two full-time employees. Dahlberg expects to process 20-25 barrels per eight-hour shift. The Phoenix unit can be packed into a 40-foot- long shipping container, a possible option for taking the service to win- eries with very large orders. The heads alone add about 33% new oak surface to each barrel, with both French and American oak available untoasted and in three toast levels: light, medium and Bur- gundy (heavy). New, 27 mm heads give more structural strength to the reconditioned barrel than thinner shaved heads, but they also add to the cost of a "Phoenixed" bar- rel. WineSecrets charges $450 per barrel with French oak heads and $365 per barrel with American oak heads, with lower prices per barrel based on quantity. With heads removed, the bar- rel is placed on a stand in a metal enclosure with windows. Inside, a computer-controlled robotic arm performs a laser scan of the bar- rel interior, taking measurements of 3,600 sensor points, about 120 measurements per stave, to build an accurate three-dimensional pic- ture of the barrel's inside surface. These measurements create a program to operate a high-speed router-cutting head on the robotic arm to precisely shave the interior of the barrel to a standard depth of 8 mm. Wickham said shaving can go as deep as 12 mm with thicker staves, but the company will not process thin-stave barrels. Scan- ning takes about four minutes and shaving takes about eight minutes. The barrel is then inspected to ensure residual wine has been removed. Remaining small patches can be removed with hand tools, but barrels with deeper penetra- tion are removed from the process. "The wood has to be free of wine before toasting, or it gets burned in and can cause 'off' aromas and characters," Wickham said. The toasting unit has two toast- ing stations. Each has a set of infra- The Phoenix laser-guided robotic arm with cutting router shaves the interior staves of a barrel at WineSecrets in Sebastopol, Calif. Photo: Ted Rieger At WineSecrets, Phoenix equip- ment is set up as a series of sta- tions to perform specific functions. A hydraulic device first punches the heads out of each old barrel. One difference with Phoenix, com- pared with other services, is that all old barrel heads are removed and replaced with new stock heads. 74 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT NOV - DEC 2012 reWineBarrelsllc where woodworking meets winemaking Refurbished & Toasted French Oak Barrels We look forward to meeting you at the 2013 Shows! Unifi ed CA • WAWGG • Symposium OR 503-362-1576 www.rewinebarrels.com WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM