Hybrid barrel promises ‘best of both worlds’

The barrel, a world’s first, was made by Manuel Schön in response to consumer demand for fruitier, fresher wine styles.

Schön, who runs the fourth generation Schön cooperage in the Lower Austrian village of Sitzenberg-Reidling with his sister Jennifer, said he was inspired to align his family’s barrel-making expertise with the growing interest among winemakers in alternative vessels such as clay amphora or concrete eggs. He also wanted to tap into his own generation’s thirst for wines with precise fruit and expressive aromatics.

After extensive development and testing, including a project with young winemakers in the 2024 vintage, Schön’s new “Hybridfass” is now ready for market. The new barrel promises to create more reductive wines that are fresher and clearer in expression, while still offering the desirable aromas and softening micro-oxygenation associated with wood maturation.

Calming element

“Stone is the calming element,” explained Schön, who is a trained oenologist as well as a cooper. “It hardly lets any oxygen through, does not require toasting and allows the wine to settle in peace. It brings clarity, sometimes even a subtle saltiness.”

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