“When making wooden utensils, we mostly use common oak and sessile oak wood of the highest quality, but we also use black locust and mulberry wood. You can’t have great and quality wines without a wooden barrel. For example, barrique barrels give the wine special aromas, tones and scents. Should the winemaker request so, the interior toast levels can be low, medium or high. It’s worth noting that oxygen permeates through wood, which is what makes it so much better than inox and other materials. It serves as a filter the helps aromas develop naturally”, Milivoj Ivo Golub says.
In addition to making wooden utensils, cooperage “Golub” also does maintenance and repairs. They offer furniture made from wooden utensils such as barrel tables with bar stools, bottle shelves, shelves, chandeliers and lots of other functional and ornamental items. Our clients usually find out about us by word-of-mouth recommendation and we’re almost always full. The quality of products made by this cooperage has been recognised both in Croatia and abroad. The passion they have for their work has definitely played a large role.
Photo: Marko Prpić/PIXSELL
“It gives me great joy when I feel that I’ve done something right. I had this feeling in particular while making this one barrel when I realised that I had almost reached the pinnacle in this line of work. You can’t measure it with money. It’s about intrinsic satisfaction. Young people are not interested and they give up easily. This business doesn’t pay off in the short term, but it’s very rewarding in the long run. You get a valuable skill, knowing the materials and a feeling that you made something with your own hands”, Milivoj revealed.
He also pointed out that his future plans include passing on his knowledge to someone who’s willing and has a knack for this line of work.
It’s important to mention that the Golub family assembled and displayed an impressive tool collection consisting of 235 exhibits that were used to make wooden utensils. They also have old photos of traditional barrel production, as well as wooden utensils used in the winemaking process. This collection has also been proclaimed cultural good of the Republic of Croatia and you can see it every day from 9am to 7pm. Group visits are possible upon prior notice.
