Viini Kello - Wall clock made from old wine barrel lid - Made in Germany – Handworkz

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Exciting facts about our barrel lids

We use selected barrel lids from wine and whisky barrels as the basis for the table tops of our side tables and for our wall clocks. This can still be seen in the refurbished state due to the different markings made by the winemakers, distilleries or barrel manufacturers. The lids of old red wine barrels are also clearly visible due to the reddish discoloration on the underside.

Barrels have been established throughout history as a practical means of safely transporting various goods, especially liquids. In the past, resources were limited due to a lack of technology, which is why wood emerged as the best raw material for making barrels.

Nowadays we have the means and the knowledge to build barrels from a wide variety of materials and in a wide variety of shapes. For example, to collect rain, the probably most popular rain barrel is made from blue plastic. Inexpensive and practical, the appearance is debatable, although it has now achieved cult status.

When it comes to storing and bottling delicious drinks, whether wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, juices or the like, stainless steel (V4A) is the material of choice because it is food-safe and easy to clean. It can be formed into barrels or tanks of any size. For example, stainless steel barrels or tanks are sometimes used to make wine, although these allow almost no oxygen to reach the wine. This allows the wine to mature on its own and untouched by external influences. This isolation slows down the oxidation processes enormously and the wine retains its fruity aromas and a certain crispness. Stainless steel tanks are mainly used to make white wine.

For most red wines, however, or even fine white wines, wooden barrels are traditionally used. There are numerous sizes of wooden barrels. The wooden barrel that is probably the most commonly used is called a "barrique". It is made of oak and was first used to make wine in the Bordeaux region of France in the Middle Ages. With a capacity of just 225 liters, a height of almost a meter and a diameter of around 72 cm at the barrel's belly, it was, as it is today, relatively handy and can be easily transported (rolled) by two people.
Today it is used particularly because of its good ratio of volume to wood surface. Due to the relatively large surface area compared to larger barrels, the wine gets more oxygen through the wood, which speeds up the maturation process. In addition, the oak wood used gives the wine a wider spectrum of aromas and a fuller taste. New barrels give off more aromas than previously used ones, which is why stronger grape varieties are put into new barriques and lighter varieties into previously used ones. This is because an already flavorful wine harmonizes better with the stronger aromas from the wood. The oak barrel not only gives the wine new aromas, it also ensures that the so-called "tannins" in the wine are weakened. These give the wine a dry and tart note, which is milder when stored in the oak barrel.

When a barrique is discarded because the exchange between oak and wine has been saturated, it is still used for the production of whisky, among other things. But some of them also end up at manufacturers like ours, which create a piece from them that will last forever.

All of our wall clocks and coffee tables with a diameter of around 53 - 55 cm are made from the lid of a barrique barrel. We receive these in a rickety, rather rough condition, as the individual boards are only held together with tongue and groove. In the case of a barrel that is firmly installed, this, in combination with the staves and steel rings, ensures a stable overall construction. In order to give the lids individual stability, we carefully dismantle each unique piece, clean it, replace defective connecting elements and glue the individual boards together. Only through this complex but fundamental process do we get a good, stable base without additional bracing. After the glue has hardened, the barrel lids are sanded by hand step by step to a grain of 400, and we attach particular importance to preserving the embossing, if present. This ensures that they retain a certain charm and, especially in the case of red wine barrels, shows the origin of the wood through a reddish discoloration on the underside of the lid.

Even after sanding, it is clearly visible which wine matured in the oak, as the wine's colorants have penetrated deep into the wood and have completely colored it up to a depth of 10 mm.

Now it is decided whether the piece will become a clock or a table, and the clock mechanism or table legs are installed accordingly.

We show how to make a wall clock in a short video!