The care and feeding of your new barrel…

Welcome to the next level of winemaking! Oak alters the nature of wine in two ways – the wine dissolves and absorbs a complex of aromas and flavours from the oak. Tannins, phenols, vanillins and sugars are a major part of this extraction, but there are a myriad of trace elements which differ with the various oak species, where the trees were grown and how the wood was dried and coopered. Secondly, oak is a porous material through which air can pass and into which liquid can penetrate. Wine stored in an oak cask is subject to very slow oxidation and that is what gives wine its maturity.

Smaller barrels provide each litre of wine with a great deal more oak character than a larger barrel due to the ratio of surface area to wine volume. Because of this the same degree of flavour change may be observed in a far shorter period of time, perhaps only a few weeks. Wine in a small barrel requires constant monitoring to ensure it does not become over oaked.

HYDRATING A BARREL & CHECKING FOR LEAKS

Fill about 25% with very hot water, bung tightly and rotate the barrel. As the water cools internal pressure increases and any leaks should reveal themselves.

It is not uncommon for a new barrel to have a few small leaks which usually seal up by themselves as the wood expands. If all leaks have not sealed within a day a longer soaking is indicated and should follow the following procedure:

1. Fill the barrel half way with cold water, add citric acid and potassium metabisulphite (KMS)
solution of 100 ppm (see table).

2. Fill the barrel completely, and bung it

The barrel should be kept topped up with water. Do not bung too tightly as this will cause a partial vacuum and “seal” leaks that have not actually stopped. When the barrel shows no more signs of leakage, empty and rinse several times before filling with wine. Leaks that continue for 48 hours are not likely going to seal with further soaking. In this case call Okanagan Barrel Works.

USING YOUR BARREL FOR THE FIRST TIME

A brand new barrel, particularly a smaller one, will add a lot of oak very quickly to your wine. Some winemakers prefer to soften this initial impact in the following manner:

Fill the barrel about 50% with very hot water, bung tightly and rotate the barrel. Leave the water overnight then empty. You can do this as often as you wish and it is a good way to avoid over oaking your wine while the barrel is still young.

Now that you are ready to fill your barrel with wine, go right ahead. Just make sure you fill the barrel completely to avoid any air space (ullage) inside. If necessary, top up with a finished wine from a previous batch or (Heaven forbid!) with some store bought product.

CLEANING BETWEEN WINE FILLS

A barrel that is being refilled repeatedly with wine will do just fine with a thorough rinse between fills as follows:

1. Rinse with hot water under pressure to break up any tartrate crystals and to remove any residue.
2. Rinse again with cold water

At times, despite one’s best efforts a barrel will require a chemical rinsing for stubborn tartrates or some slight “off” odours. Sodium Percarbonate is available under a variety of trade names and we have found nothing that works as well. It is a white crystalline powder and is far superior to chlorine based cleaners.

1. Rinse the barrel and fill half way with cool water.
2. Dissolve Sod. Perc. in a container of warm (not hot) water (see table) and add to the barrel.
3. Fill the barrel with cool water and loosely bung.
4. Let stand for 24 hours, rinse several times and empty
5. Neutralize the barrel with a citric acid solution.
6. Add wine or prepare barrel for storage.

STORING AN EMPTY BARREL

The very best way to maintain a wine barrel is to ensure it is never empty of wine! However this is not always possible so something must be done to keep the barrel sweet.

An untreated empty barrel will quickly begin to produce moulds and bacteria. Replacing the air in the barrel with an atmosphere high in SO2 will effectively eliminate this problem.

1. Make sure the barrel is tight.
2. Rinse the barrel well and drain, bung down, for 24 hours.
3. Use one of the following methods to ensure bacteria free storage.

Method 1 - Sulphur Sticks
These should be burned in a device that will collect any drips of molten sulphur. Place the stick in the burner which is suspended from the bung. Light the stick, place it in the barrel and allow it to burn completely. Re-sulphur every 6-8 weeks.

1. Make up a 2% KMS solution and place a small amount (about 10% of barrel capacity) in the barrel.
2. Replace the solution every 6-8 weeks.

SOLUTIONS TABLE

Potassium Metabisulphite

Sodium Percarbonate

Citric Acid