For River Drive Cooperage, the barrel has never been just a container. It can be a winemaking tool, an opportunity to experiment with new flavor profiles, a piece worth repairing and reusing — and eventually, even a source of material for a tasting room wall, bar or floor.
River Drive began in 2008 as a reclaimed lumber company before its work expanded into the barrel industry. Today, the company works with producers around the world to buy, sell, recondition, repair and recycle oak barrels, while also developing barrel alternatives, custom aging solutions and reclaimed-oak millwork.
More Options for Your Barrel Program
Through River Drive and its Barrels Direct operation, wineries can access a constantly changing inventory of fresh-used oak barrels. Depending on availability, that can include barrels previously used for wine, bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, gin, Scotch and more — giving winemakers opportunities to explore aging profiles outside of traditional cooperage.
River Drive also has an in-house cooperage with experience maintaining and repairing barrels, as well as educational cooperage programs designed to help production teams identify problems and better care for their barrel inventory.
For producers interested in experimenting beyond conventional barrel aging, the company has developed its Custom Aging Platform™ and Fiber Infusion Technology™ (F.I.T.™). The system is designed to tailor oak and flavor profiles by seasoning wood with actual spirits and natural ingredients. River Drive also offers alternatives including seasoned chips, cubes and staves.
In other words, whether you're searching for an unusual fresh-used barrel, looking for help maintaining the barrels already in your cellar, or developing a new aging program, River Drive offers several ways to approach the project.
And When the Barrel Leaves the Cellar…
River Drive's work with oak doesn't end when a barrel is no longer needed for aging.
Its millwork operation repurposes used barrels into flooring, wall coverings, fixtures, furniture and décor — creating an especially interesting opportunity for winery tasting rooms and hospitality spaces.
The company's Stillhouse Collection, for example, is made from used American white oak barrels and preserves much of the wood's original character. Depending on the product, that can include charred surfaces, natural patina, marks left by barrel hoops and even occasional distillery markings. River Drive also produces full-length stave walls and barrel-derived materials for backsplashes, borders and other design applications.
For a winery, that creates a unique way to carry the story of barrel aging beyond the production floor and into the customer experience — using authentic reclaimed barrel wood rather than materials simply designed to look the part.
A Resource for the Full Barrel Journey
One of the things that makes River Drive different is the range of ways it works with the same fundamental material.
A barrel can be sourced for an aging program, maintained or repaired to keep it in service, repurposed for another application and ultimately recycled into something entirely new. River Drive says it prefers a consultative approach, working with producers through education, experimentation and continued product development rather than simply selling a product and moving on.
For wineries, that makes River Drive Cooperage a resource worth knowing — whether the next project starts in the cellar or in the tasting room.