# New Vadai barrel



## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

Comments? Questions? Observations?


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## geek (Aug 15, 2014)

beauty....how many liters and $$ ?


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## botigol (Aug 15, 2014)

Very nice!


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

23 ltrs and cost $300.00 for the barrel and one head carved. I got one barrel with one head carved with our family crest for my cousin and one barrel with both heads carved, one side our crest and the other my Addinette logo, for me. Pictured are the two heads of my barrel.


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## ibglowin (Aug 15, 2014)

Very nice Tony! How did it take them to deliver from time of order?


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

ibglowin said:


> Very nice Tony! How did it take them to deliver from time of order?



Excellent question. Short answer: 13 months! Long answer: I ordered it July 2013 and Ruthie said it would take about 3 months or so when their next container of barrels come in. December passed and still no carved barrel. They contacted the cooper who said that the 23 ltr barrels were too small to hand carve and they wouldn't do it. Ruthie and the folks in Hungry went back and forth. Finally Ruthie's mother said that she would insist since I had been strung along for over 8 months at this time. It literally took a midnight transatlantic phone call from Vadai's to convince them that they could and would do it. The cooper ultimately agreed and they arrived in California last week and to me today, thirteen months and six days after my first email. I think in the future they prefer to do 50 ltr barrels.

I have to add that the pictures do not do the hand carvings justice. They far surpass my expectations, and that's no small accomplishment. .


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## ibglowin (Aug 15, 2014)

Indeed, it looks great! 

That lead time, not so much…. LOL


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## Boatboy24 (Aug 15, 2014)

Tony,

That is absolutely beautiful. Congrats. it'll go nicely with those Lafitte corks you got a few months ago. 

Is there a light coat of polyurethane on those heads?


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

Boatboy24 said:


> Tony,
> 
> That is absolutely beautiful. Congrats. it'll go nicely with those Lafitte corks you got a few months ago.
> 
> Is there a light coat of polyurethane on those heads?



Yes and Yes. Thanks.


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## ColemanM (Aug 15, 2014)

Those look amazing!! I have one Vadai barrel, but I was looking for a different oak profile so I went this time with a 5 gallon/20 liter French oak barrel. Man o man I wish I liked Hungarian oak better!!! The French barrel is literally 5 gallons. Where as the Vadai is let's say more like 5.3+ much stouter and thicker staves. Live and learn. Wish you luck and long life on those long awaited barrels!! 



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## sour_grapes (Aug 15, 2014)

That is fantastic, Tony. Little did your daughter know when she doodled those chickens that they would be immortalized in oak someday!


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

Coleman, I imagine my next barrel will be French. Thanks for the nice wishes.


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

sour_grapes said:


> That is fantastic, Tony. Little did your daughter know when she doodled those chickens that they would be immortalized in oak someday!



Thanks. She will see it tomorrow and has no idea.


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## tonyt (Aug 15, 2014)

When its too old to continue using as a barrel I will cut it in half and give my daughter the chicken head and my son the crest head. Many moons from now.


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## sour_grapes (Aug 15, 2014)

tonyt said:


> When its too old to continue using as a barrel I will cut it in half and *give my daughter the chicken head* and my son the crest head. Many moons from now.




That parses funnily if read wrong.


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## tonyt (Aug 20, 2014)

I hope to start prepping my new barrel tonight. I'm going to follow the instructions that came with it since that has worked fine with the previous two barrels. Wish me luck.


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## Boatboy24 (Aug 20, 2014)

tonyt said:


> Wish me luck.



i don't think you'll need it. But, 'good luck'.


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## tonyt (Aug 20, 2014)

So far so good. Boiling water on both heads for 30 minutes each. And filled with 6 gallons of boiling water with neir a drop of leak so far. Will leave overnight then fill with sulfite solution until I start a Chardonnay in it this weekend.


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## ibglowin (Aug 21, 2014)

I doubt they would pick out a leaky barrel for this project. Looks even better all wet!


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## tonyt (Aug 21, 2014)

ibglowin said:


> I doubt they would pick out a leaky barrel for this project. Looks even better all wet!



Mike, that was my thoughts exactly. I can even see where the hoops have been adjusted and tightened. 

I left it overnight filled with boiling water and this morning not a single drop, yet id took a full 750ml more water to top it up. I'm going to fill it with sulphite water tonight and then start a Chardonnay in a primary bucket Saturday then rack into the barrel Sunday evening when fermentation is well underway.


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## tonyt (Aug 24, 2014)

Quick update. Barrel number three joined numbers one and two yesterday. Racked the already fermenting Chardonnay Del Venento. As I sit here typing I can hear it fizzing across the room.


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## tonyt (Aug 24, 2014)

ColemanM said:


> Those look amazing!! I have one Vadai barrel, but I was looking for a different oak profile so I went this time with a 5 gallon/20 liter French oak barrel. Man o man I wish I liked Hungarian oak better!!! The French barrel is literally 5 gallons. Where as the Vadai is let's say more like 5.3+ much stouter and thicker staves. Live and learn. Wish you luck and long life on those long awaited barrels!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


But how do you compare the taste? I am planning my number four being French oak.


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## ColemanM (Aug 24, 2014)

Just tossed my WE LE Cab/Syr into it a week ago. Will plan on leaving it in for 4 weeks. Then switch. I am a little disappointed at the medium toast, would prefer a medium+ but I will update when I give it a taste. I felt the Vadai was more of a full dark smokey oak flavor that seemed to overpower my wines early on, though pull back nicely after a year. 


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## ColemanM (Sep 5, 2014)

Update::: so I tasted my LE cab:Syrah and the oak is barely there!!! It has been almost 4 weeks in the new French barrel and barely a depth of oak. By this time my nero D'avola was timber juice in my Vadai barrel even after a white ferment. I can tell you that the French barrel, though not imparting ridiculous amounts of oak early, has really really smoothed out a 3 month old high end kit!! I will be tasting again next week but I anticipate up to 8 weeks in this barrel. Maybe need to add oak to kits while fining as the instructions say, if you use a new 20 liter French oak barrel. 


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