The barrel manufacturing process does not begin at our Navarrete plant. It starts in the very forest where the wood grows, which we later use to craft our barrels. Only by controlling the process from the beginning can we guarantee the quality of each barrel we provide to every winery.
Raw materials are essential, which is why traceability is a key factor that ensures excellence, safety, and efficiency throughout the entire process.
Tonelería Murúa sources wood from both Europe and America. This guarantees continuous traceability and control. As Elena Ceca, the company’s CEO and fourth-generation leader, states: “Within our company’s DNA, we consider it essential to guarantee traceability and ensure that forest management is sustainable.”
All logs are identified, marked, and cataloged. This allows us to determine the origin of the stave, the log, the plot, the batch, and the forest throughout the entire barrel manufacturing process.
Process
Tree felling is one of the first stages of the process and comes with its own particularities. Additionally, logging is not possible during certain times of the year due to excessive snowfall. The way logs are cut differs significantly between American oak and French oak.
The trunk of the French oak requires special treatment. Unlike American oak, French oak has well-connected conducting vessels from the base of the trunk to the treetop. For this reason, all French oak staves are obtained using the splitting technique to ensure the wood’s watertightness.
Wood traceability is maintained at the sawmill and later at the cooperage. Moreover, we can certify this with the different organizations responsible for overseeing this management.
Guaranteed Quality
The PEFC certification aims to inform the final consumer about the origin of the wood they purchase. This promotes the use of wood and forest products that have been manufactured with respect for the environment.
The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent, non-governmental, international, and non-profit organization founded in 1993. Its goal is to promote environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable forest management worldwide.
Optimization
Within each batch, a portion of the harvested wood is allocated for stave production. However, there is also a variable percentage—only estimated beforehand based on the experience of sawmill professionals—that is not suitable for producing staves and has a lower commercial value.
Based on this estimation and the quality of the stave wood, the sawmill professional, guided by their expertise, bids on the different wood batches.
The use of identification codes for barrels and different wood batches allows for the continuation of the traceability established during the stave manufacturing process, which begins with marking the logs in the forests.
