"gene" wrote in message
.. .
Oh my, You have hella wikkid humor, Tom grins
Gene

Thanks for the compliment, Gene, but I was only _slightly_ kidding. Even in
60 gallon sizes, new French barrels are getting close to $15/gallon.
Smaller sizes are, as they always have been, increasingly more $$$/gallon
than 60s the smaller you go.

Lots of wineries are either switching to Hungarian, Oregonian or other
American barrels. Others are very quietly moving toward so called "barrel
replacement" systems or foregoing barrels entirely in favor of oak chips and
the like.

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com