Advice for Barrel

[Boatboy24]

After spending some time in the cellar last night doing some tasting, I think I'm going to ask Santa for a Vadai barrel. Other than silicone bung(s), are there other accessories I should consider? On the MoreWine site, it looks as though you have to order the stand separately for about $20. There's no mention of it on the Vadai site though. Anyone know if they are included with the price if you buy from Vadai?

Thanks!

Jim

 

[ibglowin]

They are not included. You need to order one or risk the possibility of your barrel turning over and pouring all your wine out. The are of decent quality, sanded, and have a sealer on them. 4 pieces held together by little wedges of wood. If your handy with wood you probably could make a better one for $5 but I am happy with the quality especially since they went to the wedge design. Some of the first ones were falling apart I guess (just glued together)

Thats about all you need except for perhaps a wine thief in you don't have one yet. More sells a nice generic glass one for less than $10 which is handy for pulling a sample.

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks Mike. I'm just now realizing I should probably have some SO2 testing equipment before I dive into the world of barrels. Unfortunately, the testing equipment is more than the barrels.

 

[ibglowin]

Yea, the barrel will drop your SO2 levels like a rock compared to bulk aging in a glass carboy. 3 months time will drop them down to the ~5-10ppm range so you need a pH meter and SO2 tester at some point down the road.

 

[Boatboy24]

Is a solid stopper the way to go on these? I don't plan on fermenting in mine. At least not yet. Any links to recommended stoppers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rocky]

BB24, I use a stopper with an airlock on my barrels. I have had too many cases when the bung pops due to residual gas. No real down side to using an airlock as long as you keep it filled.

 

[joea132]

I'm way to nervous to use anything but a vented bung on a young wine. I just bought a bunch of vented bungs from vin table

 

[ibglowin]

I use nothing but solid silicone bungs sold by Vadai and More Wine. I usually don't put a wine into the barrel until its been fined and perfectly clear. No problems in 2 years.

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks for the help all! Getting kind of excited about the possibilities here.

Rocky: do you happen to know what size stopper fits in the Vadai barrels?

 

[Rocky]

Boatboay24, I use a size 8 1/2 stopper that I got from Fine Vine Wines. Here is a link: http://finevinewines.com/XPListDet1.asp?MM_PartNumber=4626

 

[Boatboy24]

Santa just called and said the North Pole is out of barrels and since it's easier for me buy exactly the one I want, I should go ahead and do that. WooHoo!