Barrel management

[ColdClimateWines]

After our fire, we traveled around visiting many wineries to pick up ideas, tips and nuances for our rebuilding. One major dividing point in wineries that I noticed were ones committed to oak and those to just stainless. I was more in awe of the wineries and I enjoyed their red wines more.

We have begun accumulating oak. Found a nice cooperage down south that customs the barrels to what we want and also has used whiskey barrels for our crafted hard cider. In a short time we have a good amount of wood rolling around the still unfinished production area. I say rolling around cause it seems like we have moved them all a hundred times as construction progresses.

The question I have is on barrel management, dating, tracking usage, etc. anyone have a good system?

 

[robie]

I would suggest you contact the barrel manufacturer. They should be able to give you some help with this issue.

 

[JohnT]

I know that some wineries use a numbering system of the form...

year/varietal/sequesnce, and write this (usually) on the barrel head with either chalk or grease crayon.

For example.. 08MER001 would be 2008 / Merlot / barrel number 1.
They also tend to write the date that the wine was placed into the cask as well.

 

[ColdClimateWines]

Thanks. Yes I have seen some different numbering systems. What about second or third soak, or when it becomes neutral. When a different grape is put in? Perhaps a simple number and date system for each barrel and track it's use age off barrel.

It's simple I think when a winery has one vintage. One port maker used a simple system - circle when it was filled first time, a line through the circle the second and on the third another line to make an x in the circle. Then it was neutral.

Oh well perhaps we need to reinvent.