Wine duration in a neutral barrel?

[ibglowin]

I add 3 oz of oak beans to the barrel then put the wine in. Leave them in for the duration. I usually have time in carboy that I can add more oak into the carboy if the oak level falls below what I want before bottling. When you rack the wine out I shake the barrel to get as many out as I can then rinse with a little H2O and the rest seem to fall out with a little shaking.

 

[JohnT]

Glowin,

OOOOUCH, I think I just sprained my brain.

Thanks for doing the math. I have been always taught that 1 week per gallon capacity is a good rule of thumb for maturing wine in a barrel. I have used this rule of thumb and have had great success.

I wonder if other factors do not come into play a well? Perhaps the ratio of the thickness of the wood to the all over volume? Perhaps the number of slats (or number of butt-joints) the barrel might have over the volume?

 

[ibglowin]

There is a good reason that over time wine makers settled in on the 58 gallon or 220L sized barrel. It simply made the best wine year after year. It allowed the perfect amount of wine to wood ratio. Thus allowing the wine to stay in the barrel for up to two years and not only slowly oxidize but also mature (polymerize) right in the barrel. Most of the oxygen gets into the wine/barrel between the staves which as we know swell enough to keep the wine in but they are not so tight that O2 can't move in.

 

[sdelli]

Glowin,

OOOOUCH, I think I just sprained my brain.

Thanks for doing the math. I have been always taught that 1 week per gallon capacity is a good rule of thumb for maturing wine in a barrel. I have used this rule of thumb and have had great success.

I wonder if other factors do not come into play a well? Perhaps the ratio of the thickness of the wood to the all over volume? Perhaps the number of slats (or number of butt-joints) the barrel might have over the volume?

Wouldn't this change from a new barrel to a neutral one? Seems like a good rule for a new one....

 

[stickman]

I would say there are differences between neutral and new barrels. It turns out there is quite a bit of oxygen contained in new wood, so a neutral barrel that just had wine removed and a new batch put in doesn't provide the same oxygenation. As Glowin indicated, you still get the oxygen that passes through the wood or between staves, but the oxygen contained in the wood is partially depleted. The addition of new oak cubes not only provides flavor, but also provides the needed oxygen. Some young heavy tannic red wines, particularly mountain fruit, require significant oxygen in the first few months or they may become reductive. I've found that 5 staves (36"x2.5"x.375") are needed for a 30 gallon flextank which is supposed to be oxygen permeable like a 2nd year barrel. Without the staves the wine will go reductive quickly. You can add oxygen any way you like, racking or oak etc., but judgment is needed as lighter style reds don't require as much.