Co-manager Nicolas Tombu looks at staves drying in the seasoning yards at the Tonnellerie Baron, a French cooperage founded in 1875 and maintaining the historic craft of coopering, near the town of Saintes, southwestern France, on March 20, 2024. In the heart of the Cognac vineyards, the climate is unique balance of sunshine and humidity that is particularly favorable for the aging of oak lasting between 24 and 36 months before the production of barrels, puncheons, and foudres of many sizes and shapes. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP)