Barrels after removing wine

[celladwella]

Hi everyone out there in the wine making world. Hope everyone and their loved ones are all safe and healthy. Was wondering what everyone does as far as barrel maintenance once they rack wine out of their barrel. I was thinking i would just run some water through it and let it dry for now till im ready to add a new batch. Does this seem right any suggestions appreciated. Take care!

 

[Boatboy24]

You definitely do not want to store it empty without burning a sulfur stick in there every so often. Is it neutral? If so, you can just fill it back up with water and add KMeta and Citric acid.

 

[celladwella]

You definitely do not want to store it empty without burning a sulfur stick in there every so often. Is it neutral? If so, you can just fill it back up with water and add KMeta and Citric acid.

So i just took the wine out fill it with water and add some Potassium sulfite / citric acid solution. Store it that way right? Not sure what you mean by neutral? I usually burn the sulfur stick in it.

 

[NorCal]

I’ve stored them filled and with sulfur gas, but never just dry.

Wet: fill brutes with 60 gallons of and acidulate water to 3.2 or so pH. Let set overnight then and add 70ppm SO2, fill barrel. Keep topped and and SO2 as you would a barrel.

Dry - sulfur stick. I’ve done a few years, but fear dropping ashes or overdoing the sulfur gas in the barrel.

The downside with storing wet is that you are consuming the oak flavoring properties of the barrel. A neutral barrel is one that has none of the oak flavoring properties left; usually after 3 seasons.

 

[user 36973]

Only other thing I'd add to the comments above is that the sulfur burning preservation is best for bridging the barrel for about a month between being refilled. If you plan on burning sulfur then after thorough rinsing, the barrels should be left upside down for a day to drip out excess water. I stick a wad of paper towels in the bung to prevent fruit flies from finding their way in. Then rotate them back upright, burn the sulfur disk and re-bung.

The citric/sulfite water storage should be used if it will be more than a month before you plan to refill it, but it does leach tasty oak flavor as @NorCal said.

 

[winemaker81]

My barrel's neutral so I can leave the wine as long as I need to. So far my practice is to bottle the barrel today, fill with a cleaning solution (I used OxyFresh this year), and put the new wine in it tomorrow. I realize this doesn't help with newer barrels, or if there is nothing on the agenda to re-fill the barrel with.

 

[mainshipfred]

I believe the real key as mentioned above is whether or not it is neutral. In my opinion if it's neutral citric/k-meta solution, otherwise sulfur sticks. But ideally they should always have wine in them.

 

[FTC Wines]

Here’s what I do. I only put wine in my barrels that has been in the carboy for a year. Then it’s in a neutral barrel for a year. With oak enhancements. Then I rack to a carboy for bottling ( my barrels are higher than my bottling table) so I can’t bottle out of the barrel because of self siphoning. I then rinse the barrel 2-4 times with hot water until it flows clean. Then I put a gallon of K Meta solution, std sanitizer mix, in the barrel and roll it around for 45 minutes or so. Drain Then refill with wine. Anyone with comments? Good or negative. Thanks, Roy

 

[celladwella]

Here’s what I do. I only put wine in my barrels that has been in the carboy for a year. Then it’s in a neutral barrel for a year. With oak enhancements. Then I rack to a carboy for bottling ( my barrels are higher than my bottling table) so I can’t bottle out of the barrel because of self siphoning. I then rinse the barrel 2-4 times with hot water until it flows clean. Then I put a gallon of K Meta solution, std sanitizer mix, in the barrel and roll it around for 45 minutes or so. Drain Then refill with wine. Anyone with comments? Good or negative. Thanks, Roy

The wine that I in the barrels was in from 2018 and was in carboys until i moved
To the barrels in 2019. The barrel I believe is probably neutral now. I filled with water and added K meta with citric acid I will drain once im ready to add the 2020 wine i made but that wont be for a while since its currently going through Malo F. When that time comes ill drain it and rinse several times let it dry for a little bit and then burn some sulfur and add the the wine. Sound good?

 

[stickman]

I don't think the sulfur is needed before filling with wine. After draining and the water rinse, I would rinse with fresh Kmeta solution and drain well, then fill with wine.