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Average weight (in pounds) of a typical French oak barrel (barrique) when empty. When full of wine, the same barrel will weigh over 600 pounds, and will hold approximately 25 cases of wine. American oak barrels are slightly heavier than French barrels since the wood is more dense.

May “News from the Napa Valley”

“The minor miracle of wine is that it has evolved to the point where alcohol is perhaps the last element that gets the wine lover drunk. With wine, from a particular place and vintage, we can get drunk on history; anyone who has drunk a great wine twice their age will immediately relate to this. We can get drunk on place, recalling memories and associations with the region in which the wine was made. We can get drunk on remembrance: each wine naturally reminds us of previous occasions when it or similar wines were consumed, and this in turn can evoke countless memories of friends, meals and times past. Of course, wine lovers can get drunk purely on the lifted perfume of a great bottle or the textured, velvety mouthfeel and lingering flavors that scent the breath after swallowing.”

—Robert Walters, “The Wine of Astonishment” The World of Fine Wine, Issue 22

—Robert Walters, “The Wine of Astonishment” The World of Fine Wine, Issue 22

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