Should I buy a french oak barrel?

[WindyCoastWine]

I have been making wine for several years now and thought about investing in a 5 gallon oak barrel. The more that I read about oak aging, the more I am not sure about the investment. I have read that you need to keep the temp around 55 deg and humidity around 70%. I don't have the ability to keep the temp that low and humidity that high. Would it even be worth using this method? Thanks.

 

[robie]

I have two six-gallon Hungarian oak (Vadai) barrels, with which I would not part.
To me, they make a tremendous difference in the final wine, especially for kit wines.

I have never worried about the temperature or the humidity (maybe I should...). They just tend to do their thing, week after week.

There are lots of other sources for oak, so I use barrels less for oaking the wine and more for micro-oxygenation and concentration. The more they concentrate a kit wine, which tends to be thin anyway, the better I like it.

It comes down to personal preference. I have several friends who think barrels are a total waste, but they make some very good wine.

I would say, buy one barrel (~ $150) and try it out.

 

[Runningwolf]

I prefer to just use French oak spirals. Nothing against small barrels and I know several folks on here rave about them. It's just less maintenance and more money for me to spend on other equipment.

 

[ibglowin]

I would not mess with anything less than 6 gallons. Just too small and too hard to seal and keep from leaking.

There is no comparison between a wine that has been through a barrel and one that has lived its life in a glass jar even with an oak spiral. Its the micro oxidation and concentration that makes all the difference.

 

[JohnT]

For me, the purchase of a barrel depends on my situation.

If I had 60 gallons then, yes I would get the barrel. If I had 5 gallons then no, I would not.

The reason for this is simply two fold.

First, I do not like smaller casks. The smaller the cask, the larger the surface area is relative to volume of wine. This can lead to too much oxidation over time.

Second is the cost. I Believe that you will find that the total cost per bottle of a small cask is much higher than in a larger one.

For small batches, I would prefer to user either oak cubes or any of the other oak alternatives. They do a great job in imparting oak flavor.

Additionally, IMHO, i prefer toasted american oak.

 

[KenS]

Interesting thread... I was given a tiny 1 liter oak barrel as a gift recently. While it is clearly intended as a desktop show thing, it was the real thing, so I put it to use. When I bottled an Old Vine Zin back in March, I filled the barrel with a liter, and let it sit for two months. This past weekend, I bottled it and tasted the extra 1/2 glass that didn't fit in the bottle. Wow, did I like it!! The difference between that one bottle and the other 29 is amazing.

I understand the size/surface area part, so I think the 2 months was probably about right for this barrel. But it certainly has me thinking about a 5 or 6 gallon version now!

 

[roadpupp]

I am very interested in this thread.

The surface area/volume point is one I never considered.

As I understand the use of barrels, oaking isn't really the point after the first few batches, it is all about evaporation and concentrating your wine, correct?

I make kit wines now and have thought about a 6 gallon barrel but perhaps barrels make more sense at 12 gallons where you can do two kits or larger batches of wine from grapes?

I will be watching this one closely. I took a wine making class and the instructor said that barrels are a big commitment because you have to keep wine in them pretty much continuously once they are seasoned. And also that the results in terms of rich, deep reds can't be beat due to the concentration effect of evaporation.

 

[robie]

I am very interested in this thread.

The surface area/volume point is one I never considered.

As I understand the use of barrels, oaking isn't really the point after the first few batches, it is all about evaporation and concentrating your wine, correct?

I make kit wines now and have thought about a 6 gallon barrel but perhaps barrels make more sense at 12 gallons where you can do two kits or larger batches of wine from grapes?

I will be watching this one closely. I took a wine making class and the instructor said that barrels are a big commitment because you have to keep wine in them pretty much continuously once they are seasoned. And also that the results in terms of rich, deep reds can't be beat due to the concentration effect of evaporation.

There is no right or wrong answer here. It is a matter of experiences and preference.
For me, the difference between the results of a kit without barrel time .vs. a kit with barrel time is really significant.

A person can philosophy about all this, but the proof is in trying it, yourself. Yes, there are pros and cons, but putting those aside, if you buy a six gallon barrel for your typical kits, I will be very, very, very surprised if you don't end up very glad you did. (In other words, don't diss it too much if you have never actually "tried" a kit in a six gallon barrel. )

You do have to be mindful of the fact that a six gallon barrel, especially a brand new one can over oak your wine in only 3 or 4 weeks. The answer here is to be diligent and know how long each kit can stay in the barrel.

That first kit can only stay in for 2 to 3 weeks at the very most, then put it back in the carboy; don't bottle it right away. The next one can pretty much double that time... and so on. (You have to keep track of the cycles!!!) Then when the oaking level goes down to where it takes two or three months to get the right amount of oak, start putting those first kits back in for a month or more, so you can get some more concentration and micro-oxidation. Then you can look forward to the time you can leave a batch in the barrel for a couple of months... that's when the real value of the (neutral) barrel will come through.

 

[roadpupp]

Robie

Definitely not dissing barrels. Interested in learning more and getting to the point where I have enough red going to be able to keep a barrel busy!

 

[tonyt]

I have read that you need to keep the temp around 55 deg and humidity around 70%.

I didnt know that. I have had a 6 gallon Vidai barrel for 18 months in my Texas kitchen. 75 degs and normal indoor humidity. Works just fine for me. You do need to have constant production to keep it full.

 

[robie]

Robie

Definitely not dissing barrels. Interested in learning more and getting to the point where I have enough red going to be able to keep a barrel busy!

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you were dissing barrels. That was just a general statement to those who might want to diss small barrels, but haven't ever tried one.

 

[JohnT]

It is a good point above. It really is a matter of personal preference. My advice, though, is to use oak cubes and save your money for more kits.

 

[sholomy]

anybody know how long it would take to receive the evaporation benefits in say a 60 gallon barrel?