I have some 2004 cab franc still in DJ. It still lacks oak and I have been trying to find a reason to get started with an oak barrel. Would it be too late to put this wine in a barrel?
I guess bulk aging is a subject with many ideas but if bulk aging after year can you still work the wine as far as blending, oak ...?
Go for it. I have the last 30+ gals of my 2004 Cab/Zin/Carignane blend in a plastic barrel that will be transferred to a 120 liter French oak barrel next month. Made 150 gals - keep the oak barrel filled with wine, bottle every 3 months then transfer from plastic to oak.
This year's Cab/Zin blend is in primary now will probably press next weekend.
Steve
Sure, now is fine. Just make sure that barrel is toasted... I started a thread on my current barrel dilema. :o)
Joe
While there are those who say you should start oaking or adjusting pH or acid on the day you start your wine, it is never too late to adjust it. I have added oak to wine that was 3 years old.
Ray
Probably not, one thing that barreling your wine does more than just add the oak tanning/flavor is that a micro oxygenation occurs that caramelize your wine. Daniel Pambianchi wrote an article about just this phenomenon in the Wine Maker magazine,
SG Brix
Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi doesn't is not of this opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the bung is removed to top-up the ullage."
The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his argument.
Ben
Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi is not of this opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the bung is removed to top-up the ullage."
The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his argument.
Ben
Do you have your references mixed up? Pambianchi is not of this opinion, infact he even states "I'm of the opinion that the barrel is essentially air-tight, and the only air that enters does so when the bung is removed to top-up the ullage."
The topic remains debatable, however Pambianchi does ignore the wine-air interface that exists inside the barrel staves in his argument.
Ben
SG Brix, Thanks for the url I found it a very good article on barrels!
How much oxynagetion is beneficial? Racking even with proper SO2 levels exposes the wine to oxygen. How many times can you rack a wine during its life cycle?
By mention the word micro oxygenation I too are stressing the phenomenon that occurs inside the barrel and to the wine when it evaporate and or breathe with the outside environment. If you think it is just a one way of breathing you are totally off your mark. Just put a full barrel in an environment with a strong odor and the liquid inside will take up the flavor. Obviously, I too feel that it is probably evaporation (expelling) more than it is breathing in. Prove me wrong,
SG Brix
To me when a young wine seems tired, I feel this could be from over racking. But I am no expert; maybe Tom could chip in here? I have @ 20g of "old" wine that I am using for barrel wine. So that my barrels mostly 5-10g do not sit empty. But I always rack it very carefully and with both ends immerged into the wine. It will never be bottled, tired & severely over oaked by now. But it still has no off tastes as of yet. I also kept the SO2 a bit high. The wine is an accumulation for last 5 years.
So to answer your question, much depending on how carefully you have been when racking in the first place.
SG Brix
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required