Hi folks - I'm a little confused about VA - I noticed a wine I recently > put
> in one of my older barrels has aquired a touch of VA. Can this be caused > by
> bacteria resident in the barrel? - SO2 levels are low at the moment > because
> I do want the wine to go through ML - but I'm wondering what the source of
> VA might be - and obviously if this is a signal that the barrel may need > to
> be turfed? (No big loss since it is now 5 years old)
That barrel is infected, and the wine in it is in the process of turning to vinegar - especially since the SO2 is low. You need to get it out and hit it with sulfite unless you need a _lot_ of vinegar. Even then, you might not be able to save the wine.
Tom S