Chesnut barrels

I was curious about Chestnut barrels too, so I asked my barrel broker about them. Here is his reply: "Chestnut is usually coated with paraffin or something similar. We did an experiment with untreated barrels at Mondavi in the early '80s. The results combined the worst of unripe persimmons, peanut butter and bad wine....something very tannic that stuck to the roof of your mouth."

Tom S

Chestnut is a close relative of oak. Wood grains are similar. Don't know about other properties. Tim

Hmmm... interesting... I couldn't describe the pinot I had in those terms... I suppose the only thing to do is look for more wines that are chesnut aged and try them.

I had asked him about chestnut barrels because I had never tried them and I was (am) curious. I know they're used in balsamic vinegar production, but I've never seen them used - or even available - here in the US.

Sounds like they might be overwhelmingly tannic.

Tom S

bit late on chiming in here. Though there's no mention on his website, Dennis Horton described to me years ago the use of Chesnut barrels. He was importing them from Spain if memory serves me. Not sure if he's still using them or not.

I have in possession a bottle of Chambourcin that was "chipped" with Chestnut. I've never been disapointed by the wines from this hobbiest, so have some great expectations for this sample.

clyde

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clyde