overall: 12.1 cm x 24 cm x 7.3 cm; 4 3/4 in x 9 7/16 in x 2 7/8 in
Object Name:
chock, barrel
Other Terms:
Food Technology; Winemaking
Description:
An insecure barrel stack is an unacceptable hazard in a winery. This wooden wedge was one of hundreds used to stabilize stacks of 225 liter (60 gallon) wine barrels that were holding wine for aging at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (SLWC) in California’s Napa Valley in the mid-1990s. The prosaic but essential chocks, pushed into place along the curves at the bottom of each barrel, kept the formidable stacks of French oak barrels secure and stable. As cellar workers climbed the stacks to top off barrels and monitor the wine, they trusted the chocks to function properly.
