Unknown

Abstract

A wooden container provided for the maturation of a wine or a spirit, comprising wood pieces (6) elongated in the direction of the wood fibers, assembled together in the width in order to constitute a closed container, characterized in that it includes at least one wood piece (6) which has an inner surface in which at least one groove (36) is arranged forming an angle relative to the wood fibers representing the longitudinal axis of growth of the shaft, in order to obtain a cut of these fibers intended to be exposed to the liquid.

Claims

1. A wooden container provided for the maturation of a wine or a spirit, comprising wood pieces elongated in a direction of the wood fibers, assembled together in order to constitute a closed container, at least one heat-treated bottom piece which has an inner surface in which at least one groove is arranged forming an angle relative to the wood fibers representing a longitudinal axis of growth of a shaft, in order to obtain a cut of these fibers intended to be exposed to the liquid.

2. The wooden container according to claim 1, wherein the grooves are disposed perpendicularly to the direction of the wood fibers.

3. The wooden container according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the grooves is less than or equal to half a thickness of the wood pieces.

4. The wooden container according to claim 3, wherein the depth of the grooves is about five millimeters.

5. The wooden container according to claim 1, wherein the spacing between two grooves is greater than ten millimeters.

6. The wooden container according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of the grooves forms a rectangle.

7. The wooden container according to claim 1, further comprising a shell forming a closed contour, comprising on an inner surface closed continuous grooves along this contour.

8. A method for manufacturing a wooden container according to claim 1, further comprising a step for machining grooves on bottoms including bottom pieces assembled together.

9. A renovation method for obtaining a wooden container according to claim 1, comprising a step of exchanging bottoms or staves by pieces having on the inner surface grooves intended to be exposed to the liquid.

10. A method for manufacturing a wooden container according to claim 8, wherein the wood pieces are heat-treated beforehand prior to the assembling of the container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will appear more clearly on reading the description given below by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a side view of a keg having a partial axial section;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a side view of a bottom of this keg;

[0034] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the assembly of the bottom on the shell;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows grooves made on a wood piece cutting the fibers of this wood; and

[0036] FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show for a keg according to the invention, respectively an axial section view, a side view and a view of the inner face of a stave, and a view of the inner face of a bottom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a keg including a circular shell 2 centered on a main axis A, receiving a bottom 4 at each end.

[0038] The shell 2 is formed by a series of staves 6 elongated in the direction of the wood fibers, which are clamped together widthwise, and held by a strapping 8 disposed at different heights.

[0039] The outer drum shape includes axially parts delimited by a strapping 8, comprising a central part 12 called a bulge having a piercing 10 for the exchange of the liquid, then on each side, a lateral part 14 called a collar, and finally a small end part 16 called a head which extends up to an end strapping.

[0040] Each bottom 4 formed by a series of bottom pieces clamped together has a circular contour forming, in an axial section, an outwardly directed tip 20. Near each end of the keg, the inner surface of the shell 2 includes a circular groove 22 perpendicular to the axis A, receiving the tip 20 of the contour of the bottom 4. The clamping of the outer strapping 8 ensures a continuous pressure on the contour of the bottoms 4, which makes the sealing.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a wood piece 30 which may be a stave or a bottom piece, elongated in the longitudinal direction of the wood fibers 32, having on its inner face 34 exposed to the liquid, two grooves 36 of rectangular section machined in the wood on a part of the thickness of this part. The upper groove 36 cuts the wood fibers 32 perpendicularly to these fibers, the lower groove cuts them with an inclination of about 45°.

[0042] The lateral surfaces 38 of the grooves 36 constitute a privileged surface of liquid penetration into the wood fibers 32 by their cut ends.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows a keg including, on the inner faces of the staves 6 and the bottoms 4, a series of parallel grooves 36 of rectangular section, having a depth equal to about 25% of the thickness of the wood pieces.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows about forty grooves 36 on the inner face of each stave 6, which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of this piece.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows about thirty-three grooves 36 on the inner face of the bottom 4, which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each bottom piece 40.

[0046] A privileged surface of liquid penetration into the wood fibers, equal to the sum of the lateral surfaces of the grooves 36, is obtained for this keg, which may be calculated by multiplying twice the length of the grooves by their depth. In the case where the grooves 36 are not perpendicular to the direction of the wood fibers, this result should be multiplied by the sine of the angle formed between the direction of these fibers and the groove, in order to obtain a privileged equivalent exchange surface perpendicular to the fibers.

[0047] The liquid penetration rate into the wood is a limiting factor for the extraction of the oak extractable compounds. In the case of wine, studies show, according to the authors and the employed measurement methods, a penetration of this liquid into the wood comprised between two and four millimeters.

[0048] An index used for the measurement of the penetration of the liquid into the wood is the measurement of the moisture content of the fine zone at the surface of this wood according to the depth, which allows in these humidified zones an extraction of the compounds of this wood. It should be noted that the accessibility of the wood compounds is greatly reduced from the inner contact surface, while moving in the direction of the depth.

[0049] A study showed that the amount of whiskey-lactone forming a wood extractable compound which may be considered as a marker to estimate the percentage of extraction, enclosed in the surface layer of two millimeters thick after two years of ageing the beverage, and in the order of 50% relative to the new wood.

[0050] In practice, the grooves 36 are made by cutting tools in order to obtain a clear cut of the wood fibers, such as a saw or a milling machine. Advantageously, it has a width comprised between one and twenty-five millimeters.

[0051] The quantity of wood per liter of liquid we want to obtain, guided by the choice of oenologists or producers of spirits, is calculated by taking the total privileged exchange surface obtained with the grooves 36, multiplied by the wood density and divided by the volume of the container.

[0052] Advantageously, the maximum depth of the grooves 36 is limited to half the thickness of the wood pieces, in order to avoid risks of leakage through the container.

[0053] Advantageously, the distance between the grooves 36 is at least ten millimeters for obtaining a sufficient resistance of the wood remaining between two grooves and for avoiding its breakage. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, with circular grooves perpendicular to the main axis made in the staves 6, and with parallel grooves made on the bottoms 4, the maximum possible privileged exchange surface is obtained.

[0054] Conversely, at least in order to obtain a low privileged exchange surface giving a slow extraction of the wood extractable compounds, a single groove may be made in the container.

[0055] A groove type 36 adapted for a standard use of a keg, giving a reasonable extraction rate of the wood components, has a depth of five millimeters and a spacing of one hundred millimeters.

[0056] In particular, the wood pieces undergoing the grooving may, before or after this machining operation of the grooves 36, be heat-treated prior to the assembling of the container, in particular by a heating with a convection oven, in order to reinforce the delivery of the heating compounds. This heat treatment may also be applied to all the pieces after their assembling. In particular, a type of treatment carried out in a convection oven for this type of wood pieces, applies a temperature of 180° C. for a period of three hours.

[0057] Different manners of making the grooves 36 are possible, including the machining of these grooves on the individual wood pieces before their assembling for the bottoms 4 and the shell 2, or on an assembled set provided in order to form a bottom 4.

[0058] In particular, the wood pieces may first be entirely formed, by planing the bottom pieces 40, or by shortening, joining and smoothing the raw casks, and then machining a series of grooves 36 transversely to the length on these individual parts thus formed. The machining of the grooves 36 is easily carried out on these individual pieces which are flat.

[0059] As a variant for the bottoms 4, the bottom pieces 40 may be first assembled together, and then the grooves 36 may be machined either before cutting out its outer contour, or after. This machining of the grooves 36 on the assembled bottoms 4 is easily carried out in the same manner on a surface which is flat.

[0060] The method according to the invention may be applied to new containers, such as in the renovation of used containers. The renovation of used containers includes exposing new wood surfaces which have not been impregnated by the previous use, and which have not bring their extractable compounds back.

[0061] Alternatively, for the renovation of used kegs, some wood pieces may be changed by introducing new grooved wood pieces, for example by changing some staves 6, or by changing only the complete bottoms 4, which represents an easier operation.