# Barrel Schedule



## Steve_M (Sep 21, 2015)

Our first use of grapes are in fermenting stage now.
Wondering if it is worth the trouble/expense on the use of a barrel?
We will have roughly 20 gallons of wine 10 a blend of Cab Sauv and Merlot and 10 of Zin.
If we were to go with a new barrel for this year would schedule look something like this?
Where Carboys 1 and 2 are the Cab/Merlot
Carboys 3 and 4 are the Zin.

Carboy 1 - 2 weeks
Carboy 2 - 4 weeks
Carboy 3 - 6 weeks
Carboy 4 - 10 weeks
Circle back around 
Carboy 1 back in for 10-12 weeks
Carboy 2 back in for 8 weeks
Carboy 3 back in for 6 weeks
Carboy 4 would not need a second go thru?

The timing would be such that barrel would be ready just in time for Crush 2016.

Thanks,

Steve


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## salcoco (Sep 21, 2015)

the duration first time around should be based on taste tests, although the period suggested is about right. there should not need to be any second time around. the barrel can be dried and then have a sulfur stick burned in it and the bunged for next usage. or start some kits and place those in the barrel in succession.


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## ibglowin (Sep 21, 2015)

What size barrel are you looking at getting? You may be better off getting a smaller one so you could rotate the wines through and keep it full constantly. Just easier to keep it full year round, fewer issues. Also you don't want to ever put a kit wine into a barrel that has seen MLB. Kit wines and MLF do not go together at all. So once you have MLB in the barrel, no kits. You can however do a few kit wines first without any MLB and use up some oak so they can spend more time in the barrel when your fresh grapes wines are ready.


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## Steve_M (Sep 21, 2015)

Mike,
I did leave out that important bit of information. I will want to go with a 20L barrel.
No we would not be using this for any kit wines strictly fresh grapes. Yes it would be easier to "break in" a new barrel with a few kit wines, but hey who likes to take the easy way? 

I am guessing that rotating our 4 - 5 gallon carboys through the barrel over the course of the next year should be ok, taking into consideration that by the time MLF is done and following schedule I have laid out or something close to that we should be good all through this year into next Fall.

Thanks,

Steve


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## ibglowin (Sep 21, 2015)

I have 4 of the 23L Vadai's all neutral now. I usually do 8 primary's that get me ~7 gallons of finished wine. Plenty of wine for the Angels plus a full barrel. I rotate 4 at a time into the barrels for 6 months at a time so each Fall after crush and the wine has had adequate time to clear and go through MLF, into the barrels they go. I use Winestix or Spirals these days for the oak flavor since the barrels are spent.


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## ColemanM (Sep 21, 2015)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think a 20lt barrel might be 19-22 liters. Meaning if you have 20 gallons, and you anticipate topping off the barrel, I believe it will be virtually impossible to put 4 5 gallon batches through it. It would be more like... Carboy 1 - 2 weeks being topped off with carboy 2. Second full would be carboy 3 - 4 weeks being topped off with carboy 4. Third fill would be carboy three plus some of one topped off with one, then 4th fill carboy 4 topped off with 3. Ending up with @ 9.25 gallons of both wines.


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## Steve_M (Oct 13, 2015)

Update,
I started ML two weeks ago and at that time had decided to not purchase a barrel. I added into the carboys American and Hungarian Med+ oak cubes.
After further review, (the play still stands Dolphins are horrible), wait did I say that out loud? 
Back to my question,
If I were to put wines through barrel with oak cubes in carboy would that be too much oak already?

Thanks,
Steve


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## ibglowin (Oct 13, 2015)

With a new barrel and only two wines to rotate in and out for a full year (keeping the barrels always full) more than likely, yes, too much oak.


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## Steve_M (Oct 13, 2015)

Hmm maybe I need to get a couple of kits going to allow me some barrel time towards the end of next year then.

Steve


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## ibglowin (Oct 13, 2015)

You can't put a kit wine into a barrel after it has had a wine put into it that has been exposed to MLB. You can go the other way though.


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## Steve_M (Oct 13, 2015)

Hey Mike that I knew and is what I would do if so go that route this year. 

Steve


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## Treeman (Oct 15, 2015)

Dry red-Kit wines can go into barrels that have mlb as long as you don't add sorbate to the kit.


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## Boatboy24 (Oct 15, 2015)

Treeman said:


> Dry red-Kit wines can go into barrels that have mlb as long as you don't add sorbate to the kit.



You run the risk of MLF taking place, which will throw the wine out of balance.


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## ibglowin (Oct 15, 2015)

Not recommended at all. SO2 levels drop like a rock in these small barrels and you risk a spontaneous MLF. MLF and Kit wines do not go together.



Treeman said:


> Dry red-Kit wines can go into barrels that have mlb as long as you don't add sorbate to the kit.


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## Treeman (Oct 15, 2015)

Not a lot of experience with small barrels, but from what I've read, getting MLF going in a kit is really hard. Spontaneous startup from a barrel would be even tougher.


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