All of my oak barrel questions

[LoveTheWine]

Yeah, I checked them out and the website made me a bit leery.

It seems the biggest part of the barrel shipping price is the brokerage fees, which FedEx charges.

They are the real deal. Bosagrape in Vancouver stocks their barrels and barrel alternatives but I thought maybe could get a better deal cutting out the middle middle man.
The American mailbox option or a trip down the coast next yr sound like the option for me.

 

[Snafflebit]

Oaking white wine is done selectively, mainly because the oak flavor can overpower a white wine. Of course you can experiment. Chardonnay can stand up to oaking and MLF because it is a bold grape, but even this is seeing less or no oak in fashion now. There are some toasted oak aged Sauv Blanc in CA called Fume Blanc and white Bordeaux is barrel aged. I have also tasted oaked Viognier and I don't care for the oak taste.

 

[Runningwolf]

My Chardonnay and Viognier goes in barrels.

 

[sdelli]

I thought the reason not to go back and forth between kits and juice had to do with the sorbate in the kits. I only back sweeten whites and use sorbate in them but they never go in the barrel. All my reds, except port, are completely dry so I quit using sorbate. Still a concern?

Yes... You would obviously never introduce a wine with sorbate in it to a barrel with mlf in it already... But I have also read that it is not recommended to put any kit through mlf.... The juice in kits is already balanced and will be thrown off if gone through mlf...or put in a barrel with mlf in it... So just like said in this thread. Run your kits through the barrel first, then go to your juices. Never going back. Or have more then one barrel!

 

[thinman56]

Searched for this question and didn't see it - Can I use the same barrel for whites and reds? Assuming no sorbate or MLF, just kit wines. I never use the sorbate, don't like the taste. Getting ready to put a Pinot Noir in my first barrel, soaking it and sealing it up per the instructions found here. I'd like to do a Savignon Blanc next, and then a Cab. Just happens to be the order of aging in carboys at the moment...

 

[ibglowin]

LOL, not unless you like a pink Sauv Blanc. Whites only if no reds have ever been through it. once you put a red through it, no more whites.

 

[thinman56]

Yea, I figured.....

 

[levibjork]

The rayway, lovethewine-
I just ordered and received a barrel from barrel imports. $200 plus $25 shipping for a 23 liter barrel. It worked well, they were very professional. It was just weird because they don't have an online ordering system--I emailed an order, got an invoice, then had to call with my credit card number. It all worked out great, though. I had it within a week.


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[LoveTheWine]

The rayway, lovethewine-
I just ordered and received a barrel from barrel imports. $200 plus $25 shipping for a 23 liter barrel. It worked well, they were very professional. It was just weird because they don't have an online ordering system--I emailed an order, got an invoice, then had to call with my credit card number. It all worked out great, though. I had it within a week.


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Nice work and thanks for letting us know how it turned out!
Where abouts do you live to get $25 shipping?
Just wondering 'cause I'm about as far west as you can get.

 

[levibjork]

I live in Edmonton. I was surprised how low the shipping was, frankly. I don't know if they just have a flat shipping charge or if they scale it by distance.


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[thinman56]

Runningwolf - how long do you leave your whites in the barrel? I might run my Savignon Blanc through it first just for a hint of the oakiness.