How long to keep a barrel

[tonyt]

When should we get rid of an already neutral barrel, assuming I like it neutral and add my own oak. Do they get old and start leaking? Do they eventually get sick? Is there any reason why I couldn't have mostly all 6 gallon barrels instead of glass carboys. I realize I would need some glass for racking, secondary and white wines.

Assume I like (prefer) neutral barrels
Assume I can keep them full all the time
Assume I can afford them

 

[GreginND]

If you are not needing anything other than a neutral barrel, by all means keep using it until it no longer holds wine.

Wood does eventually degrade and can become dirty/contaminated.

 

[ibglowin]

My only concern would be if VA sets in to your wine and the source leads back to a sick barrel. Otherwise if you practice good sanitization keep it going as long as you can. I now have 2 Neutral Vadai's and one almost and one just gettin' broke in!

 

[DaveL]

VA? Virginia? no,,, hmmm Veterans Administration? no,, hhmmm. Vi Agra? hmmm

 

[ibglowin]

Volatile Acidity

 

[Rocky]

Volatile Acidity

Okay, Mike. You opened up this subject. "You got some 'splaining to do!" Can you please give us a brief tutorial on VA (what it is? how it occurs? how can it be prevented or treated?) or let us know where to go to find the information. I was planning that my barrels would essentially outlast me. Right now, I keep them either full of wine or, on a very temporary basis, have about a half gallon of sanitizing solution in them with an airlock installed. Am I heading for a problem?

Thank you.

 

[JohnT]

My take on this is.. A well made barrel can last year and years and years.

The only reason I can see for not going all barrel (assuming infection/va is not an issue) is the COST..

Also consider if you like to barrel ferment. I do not so I still need carboys.

 

[ibglowin]

VA is a measurement of Volatile Acidity or how much your wine has turned into Vinegar more or less. Keep your barrels clean and sanitized, full, SO2 levels up and you will have minimal problems. Do the opposite and .........

Here is a good Winemaker Mag article on VA

http://www.winemakermag.com/component/resource/article/676

Brettanomyces is another spoilage organism commonly found in wine barrels. These spoilage yeasts can metabolize extremely low levels of sugar in wines, even wood cellulose sugars in new barrels. They result from insufficient sulfiting of wines or insufficient sulfuring of empty barrels during storage. Advanced yeast spoilage will cause a wine or barrel to take on a “medicine cabinet” smell.

See:

http://www.winemakermag.com/component/resource/article/Issues/91-Feb-Mar%202002/84-barrel-care-techniques

 

[GreginND]

Excellent articles, Mike. Thanks.

 

[ibglowin]

You bet. Barrels sound like a "no brainer" if you want to take your wine to the next level and they are but they do come with some serious care and feeding routines. They are "organic" and that means bugs can and will grow in them and your wine unless you properly care for them.

 

[FTC Wines]

Mike, THANKS for that article on Barrel Care. I have been wanting to go the barrel route but was intimated by them. Printed & read the article & may now move up, as soon as the budget allows. Also one week later the GE 6400 btu AC unit you recommended is doing a perfect job keeping my winery at 68*. Next week after the wood floor is down ill try lowering it to 65* This is a great site, Roy

 

[tonyt]

Good article Mike, thanks.

 

[tonyt]

Assuming taking good care and no bugs or leaks how long have any of you kept a barrel in use? Three, four, five years? More?

 

[Rocky]

Assuming taking good care and no bugs or leaks how long have any of you kept a barrel in use? Three, four, five years? More?

Tony, again going back to what we did years ago, the barrels were used, flushed with hot water, dried and kept from year to year. The only time we got a new barrel was when we needed more capacity. All my Grandfather or Father-in-Law did in October when the barrel was needed was to rinse it well with hot water, burn a sulfur stick inside, rinse and use. I know that some of these barrels were used every year for 10 or more years. I realize that this is anecdotal and I am not recommending the practice (we did not even know about k-meta at the time and our SO2 came from the burning sulfur). With the new information that I have now, I don't use sulfur sticks but I do use sanitizing solution (3 T k-meta:1 Gallon H2O) and hope to keep my barrels for a long time.

 

[DaveL]

In a 23 liter barrel say your on your second batch so it's in the barrel somewhere around 12 -13 weeks? What can you expect in evaporation(Angels cut). How often would you top up, weekly? I assume their not all the same but in general? Say its in a 70 degrees area and your Alc content is %12-13.

 

[Boatboy24]

Check weekly. Maybe you're only topping up every two weeks, but don't let it go too long.

In a 23 liter barrel, your second batch will probably only go 6-8 weeks, but it all depends on personal taste.

 

[tonyt]

I top up every two or three weeks. At that time I add about 90ml of wine. So in 12 weeks I guess I'm adding 450ml. I guess the angels are getting about 7%.

 

[DaveL]

So this may sound like a Seth question, and I don't mean that in a bad way, does the alcohol evaporate at a different rate than the water in the wine? If so which evaporates more quickly in a barrel?

 

[ibglowin]

This has been asked and answered before. Evaporation (alcohol vs water) all depends on the relative humidity.

 

[tonyt]

DaveL, here is the link Mike is referring to.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f74/barrel-temp-humidity-36573/#post402980
It's a long read but informative.