I have been buying my barrels directly from an importer, Artisan Barrels, http://www.artisanbarrels.com . The French and Hungarian barrles offered by MoreWine come through them, but MoreWine adds a mark up. It is cheaper and you get a better selection by buying direct, although the barrels must be picked up at the warehouse in American Canyon (just south of Napa). Now for the better part. LWGA members will get a discount by mentioning that you are a member of the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association. The amount of the discount will depend on the number of barrels ordered, so we wont know until the orders are in. Ask for Marie. She has a wonderful, but a little hard to follow, French accent. Mention I referred you to be sure. To get the discount we should get orders in soon, like this week or next. If you need new barrels for the fall order them now. They are not in stock so they need to be ordered, made and shipped here before the harvest. Now you can order anything and it gets here end July. In August you get whatever they (or anyone else) has available. They represent 3 French barrel makers, one Hungarian and have barrls made from American oak but to French barrel standards. I have the San Martin and ordered Hungarian too, which I tasted at my friend Robert Rex's and like a lot. They are one of the few that offer small barrels, 30 gal and 15 gal http://www.artisanbarrels.com/Docs/pc2010/SmallBarrels.pdf and have a broad range of 60 gal. An example from San Martin: http://www.artisanbarrels.com/Docs/pc2010/StMartinBarrels.pdf

Let me know if you order so I have an idea how useful this is for the group, and to be sure we get our discount. You pay when the barrels arrive.

Bill