It’s a quirk of human nature that we like to set records—the world’s biggest, fastest, longest—all in the hope of achieving some kind immortality, even if it’s just digitally.

We can’t help but wonder if this is what’s behind the World’s Biggest Wine Barrel, which has just been unveiled in the Languedoc.

Now on the lips of both wine people and record watchers world wide, will be the name of French estate, Château Puech Haut. The barrel measures in at 12 metres long, six metres in diameter and weighs 40 tonnes. That’s going to need an awful lot of wine to fill it—in fact, 300,000 litres will do.

Though, somewhat thankfully, this won’t be its job. It’s new home will be just outside of the estate and will be used for events, and may become a wine shop.

The news of this gargantuan barrel won’t come as a surprise to Château Puech Haut supporters. The off-beat wine estate is well known in the art world, and owner Gerard Bru regularly asks artists to decorate barriques from his cellar. Many are now in display in art galleries and collections around the world - just like the one pictured below.