Editor’s note: This has been updated with additional information. The last story I wrote about wine barrels for sale generated a lot of interest, at least in the number of people who read the story.

Understand those "oaky" notes in your glass with our expert guide to the most popular types of wine barrels. Jonathan Cristaldi is a wine journalist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Merrimack + Stranahan’s Blue Peak Canoe is custom-built from barrel staves, metal hoops, and lids into a 14 foot, six inch, Tennessean Tandem/Solo canoe, one of the company’s signature designs.

If you have visited any winery, you most likely observed that used oak barrels, strategically placed to lend atmosphere and reinforce the notion that you are at a place that makes wine.