The Heidelberg Tun

Chapter 77 in Moby Dick written by Herman Melville is titled "The Great Heidelburgh Tun". In this chapter, Melville likens the upper part of the head of the Sperm Whale, the Case, to the great Heidelburgh Tun. That got my attention. Melville wrote:
          And as the famous great tierce is mystically carved in front,
           so the whale's vast plaited forehead forms innumerable strange
           devices for the emblematical adornment of this wondrous tun.
           Moreover as that of the Heidelburgh was always replenished with
           the most excellent of the wines of the Rhenish valleys, so the tun
           of the whale contains by far the most precious of all his oily
           vintages; namely the highly-prized spermaceti, in its absolutely
           pure, limpid, and odoriferous state.
First I wondered, "What is the Great Heidelburgh Tun?" So I did some online searches and came upon a terrific site with a current photo of the Heidelberg Tun housed at the Heidelberg Castle: Luxe Adventure Traveler Site Adventure Travel with a Glass of Wine" written by Jennifer Dombrowski and Tim Davis. Adventure traveling and wine is right in my wheelhouse! I liked reading their article on Heidelberg Castle and the World's Largest Wine Barrel so I wrote to them to get their permission to reproduce their photo, which they generously granted:¹

According to their article, the Heidelberg tun was built in 1751 and stands seven meters high, is eight and a half meters wide, holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it.
Since we are tied to the land and have no time for traveling, I enjoyed reading all about the UNESCO World Heritage places that Jennifer and Tim have visited.
As for this blogpost, I'm filing this wine treasure under my Esoterica Tab, along with other wine wonders like the Vix Krater and Oldest Living Grapevine: ‘Žametovka’ Grapevine from Lent in Maribor.
References:
1. Jennifer Dombrowski and Tim Davis, Luxe Adventure Traveler Site Adventure Travel with a Glass of Wine, Heidelberg Castle and the World's Largest Wine Barrel.
2. From Taxes to Ax Marks: The Story Behind the World’s Largest Wine Cask