This is my first time attempting to make wine. I am currently preparing to make my first batch using a kit of Merlot. Here is my question(s). I have a well seasoned 10 gallon white oak barrel that I would like to use for aging. The kit produces 6 gallons. I know that the barrel should be full for aging. Would it be possible to add some inert substance to the barrel to make up the remaining 4 gallons? Something like sterilized glass marbles? Aquarium glass stones? Anyone ever done this?
Also, if I do use the barrel for aging, should I not use the oak dust that came with the kit? They say to put it in during the primary fermentation step.
Firstly make sure the barrel is suitable for wine. Where did you get it, what was it used for, how long have you had it, and many other considerations. If this is a barrel you have had laying around for a few years, its very probably not acceptible for wine.
Once you have determined that it IS suitable, you need to prepare the barrel. Generally initial preparation should be performed by a cooper, who makes sure the staves are shaved nicely, that its baked properly etc etc.
The perperation you need to make is in the swelling og the staves, which pretty much means you have to fill the thing with water, and keep it filled for a few weeks to let the staves swell properly, and ensure the barrel has a good seal. If the water in your barrel drops at all over the period of one day (after some weeks of soaking), then the barrel is not at all suitable, unless you don't mind frequent (daily) topping up.
After you have soaked and tested the barrel, then you need to sterilize it, make a volume of sterilizing solution to fill the barrel. (Potassium/Sodium Metabisulfite). Let stand for a week or until ready to use, and keep this topped up too.
All in all, after all this trouble, unless you are devoted to your barrels and keep them in pristine condition ALL THE TIME. The trouble is really too great for 99.9% of most winemakers. Better to get oak chips or cubes, they pretty much do the same thing (minus oxidative processes), though I think I would avoid any oak "dust" as you described. Any desired oxidation to simulate barrel aging can be done by very slight aggitation when racking your wine. I.e. don't hold the hose below the surface of the recieving fluid, but insert he hose into the neck enough to make the wine trickle down the side very gently. Over the period of a year with perhaps 3-4 rackings of this sort (as sediment demands), you will achieve the desired level of oxidation and some degassing of the wine.
Just get another kit and make 12 gallons... save the extra 2 for topping up and/or blending with the oaked wine, wine evaporates through the staves and the barrel may soak wine up as well. I suppose if you really don't want to go the marble route, sterilized marbles/glass would work, but that would require 4-5 gallons worth... which unless you have a source for marbles, it might be worth buying another kit.
I assume you know the history of the barrel... if it's not been properly cared for, or had wine in it before, it could be infected with vinegar bacteria. If it's new, it's avaisable to swell the barrel first with warm water for a day or so... if you search the archives you can find details on the deatils if you don't know what I'm talking about.
Assuming you have a proper wine barrel, no need to use the chips. Simply taste the wine once a week or so and _keep it topped up_ I can't stress that point enough...HTH
The first time a new, 225 liter barrel is filled with wine, more than three gallons of wine soaks into the wood surfaces. Later, when a barrel is stored empty, the wine soaked into the wood acetifies and turns to vinegar. The barrel is then contaminated with vinegar bacteria, so empty, used barrels must be carefully maintained. Sterilizing contaminated barrels is practically impossible. Experienced winemakers use their noses and discard barrels smelling of vinegar.
You're really diving into the deep end, aren't you?
First off, what do you mean by "well seasoned"? If that means a barrel that's been used so much that it has no flavor left, you can still use it. OTOH, if it has possible microbiological infestation, I'd say forget it and buy a new barrel.
If you insist on using this barrel, make sure that it (a) smells good inside and (b) is watertight before you fill it. Tightening the hoops and soaking it for a couple of days until it no longer leaks will render it watertight.
I suggest you not fool around with marbles or the like. Just buy another kit. Then you'll have enough to fill the barrel and keep it topped up for awhile. BTW, if the barrel is well used, you might consider dumping in a few handfulls of oak "beans" to furnish some new wood flavor. I recommend French oak. Ooh la la! ;^D
Don't use any harsh cleansers in the barrel. They leach the "goodies" out of the wood and tend to attack the fibers of the wood's structure. That's especially true of soda ash. Don't waste your money on so-called "barrel conditioners". Good wood needs no such treatment. If you have to store the barrel empty for any length of time, blast as much of the gunk out of it as you can with a hose (bung down, until the water runs clear), drain it, burn a sulfur wick in it while it's still wet and cork it tight. It'll be good to go next time, but you may have to soak it tight again if the staves have loosened.
Can't hurt to throw it in. That won't add very much oak flavor, but oaking during the primary is a good thing.
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