The process used worldwide in the production of barrique barrels was accidentally "invented" in France. Wine producers near the sea also used herring barrels from fishermen and tried to remove the undesirable fish odour in the wood by brushing or planing it out. When this did not lead to a satisfactory result, the barrels were burnt out on the inside. This led to the development of toasting or barrel branding of the inner barrel walls of barrique barrels. As a rule, the two barrel bottoms are not toasted because this is correspondingly expensive. However, this also depends on the barrel manufacturer or the customer's (winemaker's) wishes.
Toasting takes place over an open oak fire using a gas burner or infrared heat. A temperature of 200 to 250 °Celsius is reached. The duration and intensity of the fire determine the degree of toasting: 10 to 15 minutes for wines, 15 to 20 minutes for spirits(cognac, rum, whisky, etc.). Excessive toasting causes charring and is therefore referred to as charring. The wood is altered to a depth of two millimetres (light) to four millimetres (heavy). After toasting, the barrel is moulded into its final shape. To soften the smoky flavour, it is filled with water. The water drained after some time is yellow in colour.
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