Barrel manufacturers pay millions for old oak trees

To be able to meet the increasing demand from top international wineries, French barrel manufacturers are investing more and more money in old oak trees. This growing trend was confirmed at a recent auction of the French forest administration ONF, the "Office National des Forêts", which achieved a new record turnover: a total of 15 million euros paid for 44,000 cubic metres of wood, well in excess of the 10 to 13 million predicted.