Local artist Don Bastian has amalgamated a lifetime of skills into one unique hobby.  

Never quite sure how to describe his 'work' when asked, Bastian simply says "part art, part driftwood, part sculpture".   But his 'art' is so much more, it is functional art. 

Functional as in, hand carved vine & leaf wine cellar doors, benches with integrated driftwood sculpture support systems, doors with whole driftwood trees 'growing' through them, or butcher blocks with live edge focal points, dining room tables, sideboards, all with a stimulating visual presentation to such everyday items that would normally never get a second glance.

Don never repeats a piece, which would be almost impossible with driftwood, so each becomes a collectors item, as unique as the tree itself, reveling in the knots, miss-shapen holes and grain-twists each piece presents.   Working full time as a finish carpenter for a Victoria architect/owned renovation company, he spends his spare time creating his unique pieces. In his words, he is a "...a slave to the beach and the imagination of the driftwood."   

Cooperage – The Art of Barrel Making
or The Marriage of Wood and Wine

The art of cooperage is an ancient skill, with little modern improvements over 1,000 years.  And as in most art forms, the highest standards of quality are still maintained by the hand of the ‘artist’ – a skilled cooper.  It typically takes eight man hours to produce a single barrel.

Historically, barrels were used for storage and transportation of wine, as well as other liquids, and goods like salt.  Few physical traces of oak barrels are found, however, references to barrels are found in old literature. These utilitarian containers were usually made of pine, or from any cheap source of local species.  However, wine barrels have very demanding characteristics important to the life and flavour of these liquids.  The average life span of a wine barrel is five years.  These barrels can be restored extending this life cycle; however, the quality is not the same.  Sadly, these barrels are often recycled and seen as planters in gardens; a debatable end to a noble art.

Parts of a wine barrel are very basic with actual dimensions varying from barrel to barrel; often a result of the hands-on approach.  Variations affect size and capacity.  Most commonly seen are the Bordeaux and Burgundy barrel; others include Whiskey and Hogshead** barrels.

Only the best oak wood, specifically white oak species, is selected for the barrels; best selected by hand.  This selection determines the quality of the finished product, and the wood is selected on a variety of criteria.  Factors include the wood fibres, the fineness of grain and tannin content.   Traditionally, wine barrels are made from white oak, as it meets the requirements of porosity, strength, resilience, workability, weight and character.  The large thick rays of the wood give white oak extra toughness and bending ability, while making it relatively stable during dry shrinkage and wet swelling. 

Logs are split to preserve the wood grain without breakage.  After quartering, splitting and the planing, the wood is naturally aged outdoors.  Exposure to the elements purge the wood of undesirable odours and harsher tannins which could affect the flavour of the wine. The development of sugars and acids are monitored. This ‘weathering’ process takes many years.

French Oak is still considered by many the most desirable wood.  Most of which comes from forests planted in the days of Napoleon for ship building.  Each forest produces wood with distinctive characteristics, and selections are based on the desired effect on the finished wine.  Tight grained wood tends to impart the Oak characteristics (vanilla, spice and butter flavours) much more slowly than wood with looser grain.

American Oak was not initially as successful, but remarkable progress has been made since 1990, and usage is on the rise.  American oak is generally more aggressively flavoured (sharp, strong oak), but selecting one species or a combination of species provides a broad spectrum of aromas and flavours; the same principal in which ingredients and seasonings are used in cooking. 

Hungarian Oak is also used.  It is noted that such wines as cool-climate Syrah and Gamay Noir respond very well to an aging in Hungarian-oak barrels.

Canadian Oak is under investigation by Dr. Jim Hedges, a physician working in Hamilton and Dr. Mike Risk, a Professor of Biology and Geology at McMaster University and cross-appointed to Brock University.  Expectations are high and since initial experimentation began in 1999, appreciation for the unique characteristics of Canadian oak has grown.  Check out www.canadianoak.com. 

There is no denying the harmony found from in the marriage of oak and wine.