# how often do I check it?



## whynot (Feb 26, 2014)

Just put my OVZin Eclipse kit into my new Vadai 5g barrel, how often should I check the SO2 & PH, and top off.. I'm guessing once a week?


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 27, 2014)

Top off weekly - especially early on. You'll find that you get a feel for the evaporation rate over time. I lose much more in winter (with the heat running and drier air) than I do in summer. 

I don't think there is any need to test pH or SO2 weekly. Monthly at most. With a new barrel, your wine won't be in long enough to worry about it.


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## MrKevin (Feb 27, 2014)

Did you put in the supplied oak in your primary/secondary (and I don't mean oak dust)?
If you did you can easily over oak the wine with the new barrel. If you didn't use the oak supplied with the kit, then my guess is a month on the first usage, but taste it weekly just to be safe.


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## Peter1 (Feb 28, 2014)

You mentioned topping up your barrel frequently in the winter due to dryer air/greater evaporation rates. Makes total sense. 

My question is how much is enough when topping up a barrel. In a carboy, we typically top up into the neck...but with a barrel, what's considered topped up? Should the bung be in contact with the wine? Should the topped up level be just below the bung? 

I just purchased a new Vadai 20 liter barrel and will be filling it with cab Sauvignon this weekend. Thanks!

Pete


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## whynot (Feb 28, 2014)

Thanks, I didn't do the oak cubes because I knew it was going in the kit, however I did the same kit prior to this one, and did the oak cubes and it has almost no effect.. they only have them in there fro ~10 days.. hardly enough time to matter.

I'm considering getting some of the staves or spirals and using them in my primary and carboys throughout the entire process. This way I get the oak flavor though the process, then likely have to spend less time in the barrel, but still get some complexity from the slow oxidation/barreling process..

Also just a note: I made 2 kits specifically so I'd have enough to top off, I was told elsewhere, that the kits usually give you enough above the vol of the barrel to allow for topping. Not sure if it's because this is round 1 with the barrel, but I had more than 5 gal, not quite 6 in the carboy, and the barrel too almost all of it, I filled 1/2 a 350ml bottle.. with what was left, and that has some floaters still from the fining.


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 28, 2014)

The barrels can vary in volume by as much as 10%, so your 20 liter barrel could be as much as 22. That would only leave you with about a liter from your 6 gallon kit.


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## craftingwines (Feb 28, 2014)

Peter1 said:


> You mentioned topping up your barrel frequently in the winter due to dryer air/greater evaporation rates. Makes total sense.
> 
> My question is how much is enough when topping up a barrel.



Top up so the wine surface touching the bung hole.


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## elic307 (Apr 23, 2014)

I have just put my wine in a 100 liter new oak barrel. Before putting the wine, I checked the rate of loss with water and it was around 130cc /24 hours. If the loss rate does not change it will be around 900 cc /week. Do I need to check more often?
Another thing, I plan to keep the wine in the barrel for 6 month. After that I will bottle it and put the next batch from the coming summer, after one rack.Does it make sense?


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## JohnT (Apr 23, 2014)

Try checking every day for the first week, then once a week for the next month, then once every two weeks after that.


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## elic307 (Apr 24, 2014)

Thanks.
I checked this morning which 40 hours after I filled the barrel and it lost 30cc - I am surprised but I think it's good 

When you say check what exactly do you mean?
When I filled the barrel I added 2 gram potassium bi-sulfite. Is this enough? Do I need to worry that the wine will not rotten? I am new to wine making and I wish not to make mistakes. Also link to an article discussing these issues can be helpful.

Cheers,
Eli


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## JohnT (Apr 24, 2014)

elic307 said:


> Thanks.
> I checked this morning which 40 hours after I filled the barrel and it lost 30cc - I am surprised but I think it's good
> 
> When you say check what exactly do you mean?
> ...


 

By check, I mean that you should see what the level of the wine is and top it off (if needed). You should be fine with that dose of k-meta. 

My advice is this.. Don't panic. Wine is very forgiving. Unlike beer, wine's PH and alcohol levels make a very bad environment for 99% of the bacteria out there. K-Meta just pushes that over the edge.

Let me ask a couple of questions....

1) how did you prepare the barrel?
2) how long has the wine been in the barrel? 
3) do you have another wine to barrel age?


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## elic307 (Apr 24, 2014)

JohnT said:


> By check, I mean that you should see what the level of the wine is and top it off (if needed). You should be fine with that dose of k-meta.
> 
> My advice is this.. Don't panic. Wine is very forgiving. Unlike beer, wine's PH and alcohol levels make a very bad environment for 99% of the bacteria out there. K-Meta just pushes that over the edge.
> 
> ...


I have around 15 liter which I intend to use for topping.


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## sdelli (Apr 27, 2014)

I have a bad habit on this one I am trying to stop on myself.... I cannot help but check my barrels every week or so.... But as we know oxygen is one of the biggest enemies to our wine! Every time you pull that bung out you cannot help but introduce some into your wine.... I have been told by experienced wine makers that target expensive wines to make that I should check it less.... They say you will hear the gas escape from the barrel when you pull the bung out... It is fine. Not saying never check it.... Just a little less is better... Every 3 weeks instead of every week... Wish I could break that habit!


Sam


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