No buts ... just patience. If all goes well, you'll have a functional barrel at negligible cost.
Given old barrells. Now what?
- Thread starter Christopher Anderson
- Start date
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In my opinion, if you want to use them, i would disassemble and inspect. If the staves are good and salvageable, they can be sanded down and retoasted. I did a post on here about a 15 gal french barrel I re-cooped. That barrel was used a couple times for wine making and then sat for 20 years in a barn. It's now in my pantry filled with a wine that is getting bottled in about 3 weeks.
I would not waste your time with holding solutions or cleaning on something that your unsure about. Would you trust putting 30 gals of good wine in a barrel without knowing the internal condition? That's a big chance. If it ruines the wine, that's a big loss.
Also 30 gal is a big barrel to handle/store/move. My 15 gal is a pig when it's full. I have it on a cart that I built with caster wheels so I can roll it around.
If you want a good wine barrel, you might just consider buying a new one. They are not cheap but they are an investment into your winemaking. Remember that once you start using a barrel, its a big commitment. It's not like using carboys you can fill and ignore.
Also, here are some holding solution numbers for you based on my research and experience. I had this ratio holding in a barrel for quite a while and worked great.
1 tsp citric acid & 1.5 tsp kmeta per gallon
3 gallons water = 1 TBSP (CA) & 1.5 TBSP (KM)
Also, the smaller 5 gal barrels look salvageable. I would clean them very well and flush multiple times before filling.
As already mentioned, I would be very leary of the 30 gal based on general impression and more leary based on its large size. Its a lot of wine to gamble with.
1 tsp citric acid & 1.5 tsp kmeta per gallon
3 gallons water = 1 TBSP (CA) & 1.5 TBSP (KM)
Also, the smaller 5 gal barrels look salvageable. I would clean them very well and flush multiple times before filling.
As already mentioned, I would be very leary of the 30 gal based on general impression and more leary based on its large size. Its a lot of wine to gamble with.
Last edited:
Ohio Bob
Senior Member
If you decide not to trust them with wine, you have options to still get value out of them.
If you’re handy, and good with tools, take them apart and grind off the inside layer of compromised wood. Reassemble, toast per your liking, and you have a new barrel.
Tear them apart and slice all the staves into cubes. After getting rid of the compromised wood.
If you’re handy, and good with tools, take them apart and grind off the inside layer of compromised wood. Reassemble, toast per your liking, and you have a new barrel.
Tear them apart and slice all the staves into cubes. After getting rid of the compromised wood.
