Mark McGill knows all about wood. He represents Kauri NZ which is our barrel supplier of choice. Our favourite oak for Schubert and Shiraz is Saury 3 year, immersion bent, tight grain from the centre of France. The barrels are always well made and provide quite subtle oak influences to our wine. He also supplies quite a range of wood alternatives and processing aids for those of you in the industry who can no longer get wood.  http://www.kauriwine.com/