About the Search for Alternative Barrel Ageing

The 1990s:
The Search for Alternatives

Schneiderwindt refines and patents the thermal process, moving away from conventional oak toasting in traditional ovens towards a scientifically developed treatment based on molecular reactions within the wood.

2004 - 2006
Refinement and Patent

In 1997, French inventor Jacques Schnederwindt and Alain Babel, a veteran of the French cooperage industry, began their joint research into alternative methods for ageing alcoholic beverages. The limitations of traditional oak barrels, rising wood costs and logistical challenges formed the basis for their research.

2006 - 2014
Testing, Testing, Testing...

What followed was an extensive testing phase, during which thousands of laboratory and practical trials were conducted on French wines and cognacs to demonstrate flavour stability.

2015 - 2016
Start of Production

Alain Babel and his Ukrainian wife, Viktoria Alexovych, establish the Luxembourg-based company “Oak & Wine LLC”. The French patent FR 2874851 is also officially acquired. For ecological reasons, the production facility is established in Ukraine. The region in Ukraine is considered one of the most ecologically clean areas in Europe, an important factor for the purity of the tannins and oak products.

2017 -2020
First Deliveries and Immediate Gold

Serial production began in 2017, with the first batches of the “Bousinage Line” supplied to winemakers. Wines produced using these batches soon won gold medals at tasting competitions. Remarkably, in 2020, one of these wines was awarded first prize in the category “Best Wine Aged in a Traditional Oak Barrel”.

2021
ISO 22000 Certification

The factory in Ukraine obtains international ISO 22000 certification. This certification demonstrates that the company manages food-safety hazards throughout the entire production chain — from raw materials to the finished product — by controlling biological, chemical and physical contamination risks.

2026
Acquisition of Oak & Wine

Following the passing of Bousinage co-founder Alain Babel in 2025, the company was transferred to Dmytro Artemchuk and Oleksander Vaskivskyi to safeguard the process and the patent. As local production partners with 20 years of experience in oak applications, they ensure the continuity and further development of “Le Process de Bousinage®”.

From 2026 – Local Service for a World-Class Product

Bousinage® represents the premium segment of alternative oak-maturation solutions. Having maintained close ties with the management of Oak & Wine LLC for many years, Andy de Schipper and Werner Hoefeijzer’s Flemish-Dutch startup, EU-UA TradeBridge, was granted exclusive import rights for the Benelux and Denmark. Under the Oak Alternatives International® brand, this premium oak range is now exclusively available in these markets. Customers throughout the region therefore benefit from direct, local service that matches the high standards of this world-class product.

To provide an accessible yet high-quality alternative alongside the premium open-fire products (Process le Bousinage®), the Classic Line was developed. This range delivers consistently high quality at a lower purchase cost. Products in this category include oven-toasted cubes and regular oak chips from Oak Alternatives.

2020
Development of the Classic Line