Ask any cooper and he'll tell you that, in spite of anything the mathemagicians say, it is possible to square the circle. What's even better, there's no algorithmic conniptions required -- all that's really needed is the proper combination of fire, water, oak & steel; years of experience; a hefty dollop of blood, sweat and tears... and maybe a hammer.

And, when it's done, the cooper's squared-circle has a solid existence in three dimensions and holds about 60 gallons of wine.

Simple.

Of course, it's not really all that easy.... After all, in order to achieve the Master's Diploma in Winemaking and Coopering that you see to the right, Klaus had to study and work at his dual trades in Germany for almost nine years before the Guild Masters awarded him the degree.

And the joke of it is, that as a kid, Klaus didn't have any burning desire to become a cooper, nor a winemaker, much less to achieve a Mastery of both:

“When I was a boy,” says Klaus “what I really wanted to be was a tischler (cabinet maker)... but there weren't any apprenticeships available at the time.”

Ah, but for the road less taken....

Click on “More” to continue the journey.