OK,
This is like asking what is the best dish of food. It really depends on your tastes. I can tell you what I like, but it might not be what you like.
I am not a believer in fermenting on the oak. My goal is extracting the flavor profiles that lay below the surface of the wood. For this reason, I barrel age after fermentation and second recking. The benefit is that I see lees as forming a barrier between the oak and the wine. I just feel it is best to start barrel aging with rather clear wine. Others may disagree.
You say you have a 32 gallon (approx 120 liter) barrel? If correct, I would say that this barrel is a medium size. Most here age in 20 or 40 liter barrels (I would call small). The funny thing about size. The smaller the barrel, the MORE oak flavor imparted to the wine.
This is due to volume / surface area ratio. For smaller barrels, a higher percentage of wine is in contact with the wood. I agree with glowin in that the higher the volume of wine, the longer you can age it. I have a 60 gallon batch that has been aging a little over a year and is just about there.
My advise is to barrel it and then check it every 1 or 2 months. When you like the level of oak, make a note of it for future reference.
One last thing. You mention 30 gal of juice and a couple of lugs. You will need sveral gallons of wine to keep the barrels topped off. Sounds like you should be OK.
