17 replies to this topic

[Chris_Austin]

Hi everyone -

I'm thinking of moving up to a 100L barrel for this year's production and putting a GSM in there. My question is: do you think I could leave the wine in there for a full year?

I won't have a second wine of that volume this year and I'd prefer to simply let the wine be in there for a full 12 months and then swap out for 2013's vintage. I realize there are many factors to this question, so looking for some general thoughts.


For reference I also have the 25L and a 45L from Vadai.

[glenn1959]

I have a 40 and 50 vadai and leave the batch in for 6 months. A year for the first batch could be oaky, but probably still good.

[Eric at Two Gails]

Give Sandor a call at Vadai. Great guy and very service focused. I have a 100l Vadai and think a full year in that barrel new would be strong but maybe a lighter toast?

[bzac]

Sandor will tell you you can leave a wine in a 20 Litre barrel for a year.

I have a 110 Litre Hungarian barrel medium toast , a year would be a little long ,IMO
But it really depends on the wine and your taste. Some people like wine with enough wood in it to build a small shed. I don't

If it was me , I'd time filling the barrel the first time , about 8 months before I thought next years wine would be ready to go in it.

The second fill could go in for a year .

[Chris_Austin]

I agree with the comment that Sandor will say a 20L barrel (new) can go for 6+ months without over oaking. He told me so!

Bzach - I like your idea of delaying the filling till I can leave it in for the remainder of the period. I was also considering grabbing a "short" 100L SS VC tank (http://www.homebrewi...-fermenters.php) where I can put most of the wine post racking for setting post press. I will havea to transfer it out of there, clean the tank and then return it ~36 hours after pressing to get off the gross lees, but I think that will work (put back into a 32G brutefor the short trip. This will give me a place to hold most of the wine will time for the barrel. I do plan to product about 20 gallons total, so I have about 4 gallons for topping up over that period.

Once I've gotten the first 8 months out of the way, do you see an issue for the 2013 vintage to be left in a year?

Golly, I need to get an inert gas set up so I can put topping wine in a small corny keg and also use it to help flush the SS tanks (I guess the carboys too). I'll post that question in the next forum over ;-)

[Weaselboys]

Chris,
Another option not mentioned is to make extra wine. I have 50 & 40 liter Vadai barrels and always have extra for topping up etc.
You can make 150 liters and have enough to blend or switch out with for the first year so not to over oak.
Also wait till it's a little over oaked tasting it will mellow out over the next few months to the perfect amount.
Mike

[Howie]

The first batch I put in my 100L Vadai Hungarian oak barrel was a cab Franc/Merlot blend - I aged it for a year and now have my second batch (a red blend) aging - this will also be a year.

[TankCa]

I bought a 100L Vadai in January with a Cabernet Sauvignon I'm also hoping to leave in for a year. I also have 6 gallons of the same wine unoaked in a carboy to blend later if it becomes too oaky or to just brighten it up a bit.

[redazsun]

I agree with Weaselboy make enough extra that you can rack some out in 4 or 5 months and replace it with un-oaked wine. I have a couple 120L barrels that we filled in 2010 the first time, we had about 40L that we racked out and replaced with un-oaked wine at about 6 months. We then left it in for 7 months more and it turned out fantastic. It was a Merlot and the other was a Cab Sauv so both could stand up to some oak but even so they do not taist over oaked to me and the Merlot took a Gold this year.

[Chris_Austin]

Good idea on the rotation out of the wine with overage. I may do that, though I will have to figure out my wine rotation plan

[MalibuVines]

I aged my malbec in a new 100 liter Vladi barrel for 18 months with no problems.

[Cibo]

I have sandor's 45L's I keep my wine a year + I rotate from new to older barrells just fine! sandor makes a great product

[rpage53]

We have a very collegial group here but I can't help saying Absolutely Not. I prefer my wines to taste of grapes and not Chateau de Plywood so I wouldn't want any wine to spend more than a few months in a new 100l barrel. But I see many reviews that highlight the flavours of the wood with the grape getting only passing mention and Syrah, of course, is notorious for being over-oaked. But over-oaked Syrah still sells very well.
So as always it depends on what you like. I want a bright and fruity GSM, but maybe that's just me.

Rick.

[PEL]

Hi everyone -

I'm thinking of moving up to a 100L barrel for this year's production and putting a GSM in there. My question is: do you think I could leave the wine in there for a full year?

I won't have a second wine of that volume this year and I'd prefer to simply let the wine be in there for a full 12 months and then swap out for 2013's vintage. I realize there are many factors to this question, so looking for some general thoughts.


For reference I also have the 25L and a 45L from Vadai.

If you have access to some bulk honey, you could do a barrel fermented mead and then fill your barrel - or if you have access to some Chardonnay, do a barrel fermented Chardonnay to take some of the edge off the new barrel.

[kallmet]

I ordered today a 100 liter Vadai barrel.
I have a 4 year old 100 liter that is still in good shape. I am aging some 2 year old cab and Merlot.The wine was there only for 5 months and I tasted it today and tasted ready. Plenty of oak and I am thinking of taking it out. This wine is a bit light body (cab from CA but he Merlot is from Finger Lakes)
I have other wine that I made this year that I will fill the barrel back.
As far as the new barrel that I ordered I am seriously thinking of making some oaked mead. I am a beekeeper and I have plenty of honey on hand.
I did make this year a 8 gallon batch of mead in a small 8 gallon new Vadai barrel after fermenting Chard.. The only problem was the the mead went through MLF that was left after chard fermentation.

Any recipe on Mead that I may use in this case?
Gilman