Cooperage, the art of barrel making, is an ancient highly specialized skill. The word “cooper” originates from the barrel makers of Illyria and Cisalpine in Gaul, where wine was stored in wooden vessels called “cupals,” and the maker was a “cuparius.” With all the advances in every facet of culture it's incredible to know that both the procedure and the tools to make wine barrels have remained relatively unchanged for the past three thousand years. To achieve the highest stan