New Oak Barrel Fermenting

Hi all,

I have a new 23l Vadai barrel coming soon. I've read some threads from others about fermenting a Chardonnay Kit in the new barrel before aging reds in it.

What are the benefits to the Chardonnay? Would you recommend doing anything differently from the normal Kit instructions?

What are the benefits to the new barrel? I've read that fermenting a Chardonnay in a new barrel it can have a positive effect on the wines that get aged in it afterwards. I'm just not sure in what way or why.

Anyone who can share their experience is always appreciated.

Chris

I've fermented a chard in all 3 of my barrels so far. Not sure of the benefit to the "oak" but the chard turned out nice and buttery. It also allowed me to put my OVZ and Cab in for 8 weeks before the oak became too much (French barrel) but only 9 days for my Vadai. I feel that the Vadai barrels have more "oak flavor" to give up than the French. I followed the kit instructions for the chard as normal. Truth be told I put a Nero d'avola in the Vadai as a first red. Not quite the oak soaking red it should have been.

Not sure the benefits to the oak, though I've read there are some. I fermented a Chard in my last barrel, and it turned out pretty darn good. And as ColemanM mentioned, it allows you to let that first red sit a little longer than it otherwise would have.

Thanks guys. Makes sense that fermenting in a new barrel would knock the oak down a bit for the wines to be aged in it. Thanks again

Chris

Do you ferment in the barrel or do you age in the barrel?

Both. Ferment the chard or whichever you prefer, and then replace with a red to age. Or ferment another white. Once you go red, there's no turning back.

Just to put my 2 cents in..

I age cleared wine in the barrel (225 liter). I do not ferment as my think is that the dead yeast and sediment will form a barrier between the wood and the wine. Washing the barrel after fermentation is also a bit of a pain.

I guess that I am saying that I do not see a benefit to barrel fermentation. I would like to hear other opinions on this..

JohnT said:

Just to put my 2 cents in..

I age cleared wine in the barrel (225 liter). I do not ferment as my think is that the dead yeast and sediment will form a barrier between the wood and the wine. Washing the barrel after fermentation is also a bit of a pain.

I guess that I am saying that I do not see a benefit to barrel fermentation. I would like to hear other opinions on this..

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My thoughts run along this line. Fermenting in a barrel seems like it would impart a lot of yeast flavor to the oak. Never tried it, but I'd hate to ruin an expensive oak barrel.

When you're actively fermenting, most of the yeast is in suspension. And the 7 day or so primary doesn't allow a ton of time for yeast to settle and compact. A quick rinse should take care of it. Not as easy to do with a 225 liter barrel as it is with a 23 liter, obviously. After that, you're putting cleared wine in there for aging.

Boatboy24 said:

When you're actively fermenting, most of the yeast is in suspension. And the 7 day or so primary doesn't allow a ton of time for yeast to settle and compact. A quick rinse should take care of it. Not as easy to do with a 225 liter barrel as it is with a 23 liter, obviously. After that, you're putting cleared wine in there for aging.

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OK, I hear you BB, but my question really is .. does that barrel ferment do anything different than, say, simply fermenting when clear?


Some swear by barrel fermenting, I just wonder if it really brings anything different to the table.

What size kits are you fermenting in the barrel? I need a 20 liter for my currently-aging-in-5-gallon-carboy kits. Not enough room for fermentation in my opinion? Even a 23 liter barrel wouldn't have enough room to ferment a kit.

Are you doing grapes? Or am I missing something?

Kiwisholland said:

What size kits are you fermenting in the barrel? I need a 20 liter for my currently-aging-in-5-gallon-carboy kits. Not enough room for fermentation in my opinion? Even a 23 liter barrel wouldn't have enough room to ferment a kit.

Are you doing grapes? Or am I missing something?

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I'm fermenting kits, so 23 liters. My barrels are 23 liters. Do do the fermentation, I removed about a half gallon of must and fermented that separately. Once I moved to secondary, I combined them back. You could do the same with a 20 liter - just need to remove more.

Thanks, BB

After clearing my kits, I've ended up with 5 gallons and 2 bottles each time. Should I get a 23 litter? That's lots of topping wine or marbles. What do you guys do?

The 23L are a little leaky on some and the 20L are even worse. I have 4 of the 23L and I just topped up with a similar wine be it commercial at first then my own later. After a year or two you will have plenty of your own stuff to top off with so look down the road to where you will be some day and just not at this moment in time if you know what I mean.

Thanks, IB