Help with new barrel

[Kiwisholland]

I'm ready to get a barrel, and I've been reading the posts, and trying to get my process together. Any help/opinions on the steps appreciated,

I've got three kits bulk aging:
Eclipse Zin @ 9 months in carboy
Eclipse Syrah @ 6 months in carboy
Eclipse Forza at beginning of bulk
Eclipse Nebiolo and another Eclipse Forza on deck

All my wines in bulk are filling 5 gallon carboys.

I want to get a 20 liter Vidai barrel. I will only use it for kits, and don't want to top off my cleared kits with 4 bottles of wine for a 23 liter barrel. Will get a 23 liter barrel for my next step, frozen buckets.

1) I would like to ferment an Eclipse Chardonnay kit in the barrel after it is prepped. Start fermentation in my regular 10 gallon Brute, and add 16 liters to the barrel to finish fermentation, then mix with remainder for secondary.

2) Clean and rack the Zin for 3 weeks. Can I go longer if I ferment the Chard first?

3) Rack the Zin out to carboy, fill with the Syrah for 6 weeks.

4) Rack the Syrah out to carboy, fill with Forza for 9 weeks.

5) Move next kit, etc.

Should I then leave the kits in for 6 months each? When should I leave I for a year?

If I skip the Chard ferment? How much time for each red fill?

Thanks

 

[Boatboy24]

Your plan looks good. After fermenting the Chardonnay, you may get 4+ weeks on your first wine. But this is subject to taste. Start testing after 2 weeks and remove the wine when you think it has just a little too much oak. You can always put it back in if the oak falls back too much. Same drill (but with longer times) with the Syrah and the Forza, just taste as you go. At that point, you're good. I leave kits in for 3-4 months - almost always 3, unless I get a little lazy.

 

[ibglowin]

You should never leave a wine in that small of a barrel for a year. There is just too much oxidation. You would need a much larger barrel to place a wine in for a year. For that small a barrel 3-4 months max after you have gone through the breakin period. I would also highly recommend the 23L barrel over the 20L. Less leakage problems and a slightly lower micro oxidation rate. If your losing 3L of wine from a 23L Kit you have a racking problem. I only lose about 1.5-2.0 max. After a year you should have plenty of your own wine to top off with and not have to purchase any commercial.

Also have you thought about how your going to test for SO2 levels? You will need a Vinmetica or A/O rig to accurately test Sulfite levels as they drop like a rock all the way down to zero ppm in about 12 weeks.

 

[Kiwisholland]

Thanks. I end up with 21.5 liters or 5 gallon carboy and two bottles.

 

[ColemanM]

If you plan on doing frozen grapes later, I would choose which you will do, then see if it is compatible with the Nebbiolo or Forza. That way, you could toss those kits on the pressed skins and get (IMHO) a much better kit. I used to put I pail pressed skins per kit, but now I am up to two pails. More wine/skin ratio. Like what has been stated before, taste after two weeks on first red in barrel. My vadai barrel imparted much more oak than my French barrel.

 

[Kiwisholland]

Where did you get the French barrel?

 

[ColemanM]

First one was from morewine and the second was from my local brew shop.