Can you decode the markings on this barrel?

Hello cellar rats! I am researching a story about wine barrels sold to beer brewers for secondary use. I already asked Seguin Moreau about this barrel, and they thought it was made in France and first went into wine production in 1990, as marked by an unknown winery. It later went to an American brewer.

Can anybody tell what SM90112 means? Any educated guesses, with or without permission to quote you in an article on the fate of a barrel? Thanks!

-Gail Ann Williams

It was probably a lot # from whomever used it. Could be Sauvignon Musque, 1990, barrel 112?

The BATF used to tell us that all wine containers 60 gallons or over, including barrels and tanks, had to have their own serial number in the winery. This looks like one winery’s unique way of branding barrels. This wasn’t done by Seguin Moreau (other than the circle logos), it was stenciled on there by the winery. The barrel was new in 1990, and the winery used the serial number SM90112 to mean it was a Seguin Moreau, new in 1990, barrel number 112. Hard to tell if there were any forest or toast markings on there, but it looks like what Seguin Moreau would call a Bordeaux Chateau style barrel, with the large wooden cross member on the head. The little oak bung at the bottom is known as an esquive and is used for racking purposes. I’ve only seen 1 winery in the US that still uses that. Many wineries would order the barrels with esquives in them, but never use those for racking.

If you can zoom in on the top, metallic logo, it might tell you more about the forest. I can’t remember if Seguin Moreau puts more info in that circle.

SM could also be a winery code that just happens to have the same initials as the cooper.

Thank you, very helpful interpretations. I was hoping somebody could say “I put that stencil on that barrel,” but that is quite a longshot.

I’m going with…

SM - Seguin Moreau (Some wineries code their bbls with cooperage names to help figure out what they’re putting in a lot)
90 - 1990
112 - BBL #112

x3 on the above.