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Donor provides gift for wine barrel house

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By Tom Uribes

A state-of-the-art barrel house that is the first of its kind on a college campus is now under construction at the Fresno State Winery. The project is funded by a nearly quarter-million-dollar gift from the Boswell Foundation and World Cooperage, one of the top producers of American, French and Eastern European oak barrels in the wine industry.

World Cooperage officials John Boswell, chief executive officer; his son, Brad Boswell, president; and daughter, Amie Boswell Dewane, marketing manager, all trustees of the Boswell Foundation, arranged the donation to Fresno State for what will be called the "World Cooperage Barrel House."

Dr. Daniel Bartell, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, announced the Boswell's $230,000 donation to the university's Viticulture and Enology program.

The barrel house, which is expected to be complete in early March, will hold 150 barrels of wine, which is approximately 9,000 gallons, Bartell said.

The winery is capable of producing 50,000 gallons but only produces half - 25,000 gallons - because of limited storage.

The Boswells chose Fresno State for the donation because it is the only university in the nation that operates a commercial winery.

 "Funding a new barrel house at Fresno State was an opportunity for our family to give back to an industry that we are very proud to be a part of," Brad Boswell said. 

"The barrel house will be a great tool for training students in winemaking and it will be used extensively for research related to the endless pursuit of excellence in winemaking," he said.

The structure will be 1,600 square feet and 30 feet high and includes a state of the art humidity control system designed by Refrigeration Technology Inc. of Cloverdale as a partial donation.

Founded in 1912, World Cooperage has offices on the West Coast, Australia, Europe and South America.

Along with the $230,000 donation to build the structure, World Cooperage also will supply barrels and other materials for the production of premium quality wines, as well as the opportunity for faculty and students to conduct research.

Back to University Journal, 2/25/02 Issue