Barrel Newbie

[WIld Ferment]

I’ve been making wine for many years but have never taken the plunge into barrels. I’m considering buying a 20 gallon French oak barrel from ReCoop in Sonoma. They basically plane off a 1/4 inch off the staves from used barrels to create reconditioned ones.

My primary interest in barrels is micro oxygenation, not tannins from oak and certainly not the vanilla flavors that oak can impart.

My question is how to deal with the new wood. The first year I’d only use the barrel for three months (approximately 25% new wood). How do I maintain the barrel for the ninth months it’ll be out of service? Fill it with sulfited water?

 

[MiBor]

Please take a look at the "Oak Barrel Care Guide", half way down this page:
https://morewinemaking.com/content/winemanuals

 

[NorCal]

If you are wanting a neutral barrel, you might as well fill with acidulated water with the proper dosage of SO2.

 

[WIld Ferment]

Please take a look at the "Oak Barrel Care Guide", half way down this page:
https://morewinemaking.com/content/winemanuals

Great (and a bit intimidating) information. Thanks.

 

[WIld Ferment]

If you are wanting a neutral barrel, you might as well fill with acidulated water with the proper dosage of SO2.

I thought about that. Might be the way to go. Thanks.

 

[NorCal]

I thought about that. Might be the way to go. Thanks.

It is the way I do my idle barrels. I have tried the sulphur sticks, but wasn't a fan. Just remember that they will need to be topped and SO2 added every 8-10 weeks.

 

[user 36973]

I have tried the sulphur sticks

The sulfur sticks work but it is really only good to stretch like a month between emptying and refilling.

Longer term is to use the acidified sulfite water as @NorCal mentioned. About 1/4 cup citric and 1 tbsp Sulfites per 5 gal does the trick. It replicates wine reasonably well.

 

[mainshipfred]

I bought a 25 liter barrel and neutralized it for the same reasons as you. My specific goal was to use it only for whites. I used a citric/Kmeta solution and dumped and refilled every two weeks for 8 weeks. The first wine, a Viognier was in the barrel for 5 weeks and I got an ever so slight hint of oak. The next wine was a Petit Manseng for 4 weeks. I just put the Viognier back in because I wanted a little more oak so it doesn't take terribly long to neutralize one. Your 20 gallon might take longer.

 

[WIld Ferment]

Thank you for the helpful responses. I’m leaning toward making it neutral with citric and kmeta just before I need it next year and that way I can leave the new Syrah in it for the full eleven months or so.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm also a long-time winemaker who recently purchased a barrel. In my case it's a 10-yo 55 liter barrel. I purchased used, not only for cost, but so I'd get a neutral barrel.

I want character from the oak, but am using oak cubes, which I can vary from batch to batch, e.g., I'm not locked into whatever type of barrel I purchased. My first usage is a red blend with Hungarian medium toast cubes. I expect to keep it in the barrel for 6 months.

The second usage will be a different red blend, and I intend to use French oak for this one.

I've been researching barrel care and am thinking that I'll keep wine in the barrel until the next year's batch is ready to go in. If there is going to be any time in between, I'm planning to use a holding solution.

 

[WIld Ferment]

Cool. That seems to be a good way to go for a serious home winemaker. It’s probably too early to tell if you taste any benefit from the micro oxygenation on the wine?

 

[winemaker81]

I don't expect to discern a difference for at least a couple of months. I'll be topping up monthly -- the former owner said his experience is about half a liter per month of top-up. I will rack at the 3 month mark and taste to determine if I want to keep the oak cubes in or remove.

Tip -- apparently oak cubes can be re-used. Like with a barrel, each successive use extracts "goodness" from the cubes so the re-use potential has limits.

Also, cubes can be mixed, e.g., 1/3 American, 2/3 French. Some new, some older, etc. Something new to experiment with.

 

[NorCal]

I don't expect to discern a difference for at least a couple of months. I'll be topping up monthly -- the former owner said his experience is about half a liter per month of top-up. I will rack at the 3 month mark and taste to determine if I want to keep the oak cubes in or remove.

Tip -- apparently oak cubes can be re-used. Like with a barrel, each successive use extracts "goodness" from the cubes so the re-use potential has limits.

Also, cubes can be mixed, e.g., 1/3 American, 2/3 French. Some new, some older, etc. Something new to experiment with.

I’ve tried chips, cubes, staves and spirals. I found chips and cubes could be sharp, while staves were less impactful. I’m a fan of the spirals and have 16 of them for this years wine.

 

[winemaker81]

I’ve tried chips, cubes, staves and spirals. I found chips and cubes could be sharp, while staves were less impactful. I’m a fan of the spirals and have 16 of them for this years wine.

I use chips during fermentation. I have used them post-fermentation, but the surface area can vary a lot so the contact requires more frequent monitoring. I avoid touching the wine more than is necessary.

Cubes have worked fine in the past. I have not tried staves or spirals, but am willing to try.

One limitation is the hole in the barrel. I put the cubes in a hops bag to keep the together ... no way to get that into the barrel. Even small packages didn't fit, so I dropped them in loose. Getting them out is going to be entertaining ...

If staves or spirals fit through the hole, I'm thinking cotton twine to make getting them out easier. However, that introduces a potential for contamination, or possibly a siphon effect along the string.

Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[mainshipfred]

I use chips during fermentation. I have used them post-fermentation, but the surface area can vary a lot so the contact requires more frequent monitoring. I avoid touching the wine more than is necessary.

Fishing line work best

Cubes have worked fine in the past. I have not tried staves or spirals, but am willing to try.

One limitation is the hole in the barrel. I put the cubes in a hops bag to keep the together ... no way to get that into the barrel. Even small packages didn't fit, so I dropped them in loose. Getting them out is going to be entertaining ...

If staves or spirals fit through the hole, I'm thinking cotton twine to make getting them out easier. However, that introduces a potential for contamination, or possibly a siphon effect along the string.

Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[WIld Ferment]

winemaker81, I use oak staves in a stainless steel keg tied off with fishing line. The fishing line can be cleaned and I usually dunk it in a kmeta solution as well. Seems to work well.

 

[winemaker81]

winemaker81, I use oak staves in a stainless steel keg tied off with fishing line. The fishing line can be cleaned and I usually dunk it in a kmeta solution as well. Seems to work well.

Fishing line? Yow! I never considered that, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks!

 

[Ajmassa]

Fishing line? Yow! I never considered that, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks!

Love this. Really is an amazing tip I learned from this forum too. Allows the sticks or spirals or whatever to be suspended and shifted up or down. But more importantly makes removal a nonissue.
Fed right up next to the stopper which holds it in place and doesn’t affect the seal at all. And I’ll tie off to something so don’t accidentally lose the string. (An airlock, carboy handle)

 

[Ct Winemaker]

Why not use standard oak infusion tubes with oak chips, cubes, or beans? They also come with the fishing line attached. They are specified for carboys, but why not use them in a neutral barrel?