Barrel Chock

Barrel Chock

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Description
An insecure barrel stack is an unacceptable hazard in a winery. This wooden wedge was one of hundreds used to stabilize stacks of 225 liter (60 gallon) wine barrels that were holding wine for aging at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (SLWC) in California’s Napa Valley in the mid-1990s. The prosaic but essential chocks, pushed into place along the curves at the bottom of each barrel, kept the formidable stacks of French oak barrels secure and stable. As cellar workers climbed the stacks to top off barrels and monitor the wine, they trusted the chocks to function properly.
Object Name
chock, barrel
Other Terms
Food Technology; Winemaking
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
handmade (overall production method/technique)
Measurements
overall: 12.1 cm x 24 cm x 7.3 cm; 4 3/4 in x 9 7/16 in x 2 7/8 in
ID Number
1998.0181.17D
accession number
1998.0181
catalog number
1998.0181.17D
subject
Wine
See more items in
Work and Industry: Food Technology
Food
FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000
Exhibition
Food: Transforming the American Table
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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