It costs roughly two and a half times more than a standard 225-liter barrel, yet the reason isn't clear: the staves are nearly half as thick as those of a traditional barrel, they don't require bending, and—being uniform in size—they are easy to replace. One obvious drawback is the difficulty of cleaning; dirt and microorganisms tend to accumulate in the corners, making them hard to remove. Conventional barrels are round or oval, a shape that allows the wine inside to move ever so slightly.
The classic barrel design attempts to mimic the shape of an egg, the origin of all life, which, however mystical it may sound, actually benefits wine maturation. Yet, a side-by-side tasting of wines from the square barrel and the classic one yielded a surprising result: the Pinot Noir from the cabinet was superior to the one from the egg-shaped vessel.