ABOUT OAKASION

Welcome to my web site.

I have come to know many of you as a result of my being the General Manager of Tonnellerie Radoux in Santa Rosa, CA for the past five years. I am now on my own as a sales representative for several lines of oak barrels, oak tanks, oak alternatives and oak tannins plus a source for fine used French oak barrels from France that have certified by a strict protocol for cleanliness and can be sold by how many times the barrel has been filled.

I am looking forward to renewing my relationship with each of you and showing you what options I have for your consideration. It has taken a few months to set up my company and secure the product lines I have. Products that I have the most confidence in as the very best oak you can buy, whatever the form.

As important as the quality of the products I represent is my commitment to stand behind every product and provide you with the best in customer service and support. You can call me at any time, day or night if you have a problem or a question.

I have conducted hundreds of cooperage tours and seminars and the one thing I always stress it that “Oak is all about chemistry, not containers”. The high quality cooperages I represent know how to age (season) the wood before even starting the cooperage process. A minimum of 24 months aging is the basis of each of my cooperages. This is true for both American and French oak. Not all cooperages age their wood for that length of time. Only through proper aging for at least 24 months can you be assured that the oak has had time to leach out the excessive tannins and to convert the other chemical compounds found in the wood to compounds that you want in your wine. This extended aging is the foundation for making a quality barrel.  Sometimes people confuse aging with drying.  Aging is not the same as drying. If you were to simply cut a tree and make staves then dry them in a kiln without the proper 24 months of aging you would get a very harsh and tannic barrel. Drying is only used at the end of the aging process in order to bring the moisture content of the barrel down to a level where the staves can be run through the stave mill without causing it to “gum up”. Every cooperage dries their wood before cutting it into staves. Only the best cooperages age their wood for at least 24 months because aging for that long is a commitment to additional financial resources to finance the inventory that is sitting in the aging yard for that long. It is expensive but a real necessity if you want a quality barrel.

So, whether it is oak barrels, oak alternatives or oak tannins I have excellent products for your consideration.  Please feel free to contact me for more information or to schedule a visit.

I look forward to hearing from you,