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One more grape season done....

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storm1969

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 13, 2005
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Columbia, MD
With all the bittersweet emotions that go along with it.

The last of my grapes were pressed yesterday.

I'm always happy and sad when it is over. Lots and lots of work, all of my free time seems to be used up and when it ends.... It's a relief to have my time back. But I love it and hate to see it go.

Anybody else have this happen?

Here is the total from this year:

15 gallons Petite Sirah,
13 gallons Zinfandel,
5 gallons Cabernet Sauvignon

Not in the barrel yet...
But the mix for my barrel is tentatively going to be:
13 gallons Zin, 11 gallons PS, 1 gallon Cab.

Then top up will a Cab/PS Blend.
 
by barrel i assume you mean oak barrel? how do you like working with it? is it much of a pain to work with? how do you feel about the surface ratio to volume of wine with that size barrel? do you not have problems with over oaking or do you not leave it in there long?
 
The "Berba" is done for me too.

Finally found a good lot of grapes in Amador (Shenandoah of all places) for a total mixed ton of 85% Zin and 15% Petit Sirah. Just the right mix and the PS has some pretty incredible angular tannin and mineral that should compliment the spicy and fleshy notes of the Zin. This one should be great!

Barrels are a great way to age and mature wine. Newer barrels will tend to infuse quickly so you'll need to monitor the flavor and top up whenever necessary. It's also necessary to keep a consistant cellar temperature and humidity. Once the barrels are past a certain age/number of batches they will pretty much serve as neutral storage which is when oak alternatives come into play. Beware of re-conditioned barrels and the process used for re-conditioning them.

cheers,

Oskaar
 
Mine should be pretty awesome, as well.

Got two new barrels this year, for a total of 3. I have a 15 gallon barrel that is in it's third year, and the two new ones are a 25 gallon and a 10 gallon.

The 25 gallon is going to have my grape wine from this year in it.

The ten is going to be for straight meads. I plan on running a couple of batches through the first year to prevent over oaking. Has anyone aged their mead in an oak barrel before? It's a new attempt for me.

The fifteen gallon has last years mix in it (75%PS/25%Zin), and will stay in there for another couple of months when it will be replaced by a large batch of my Elderberry mead/port.

And no, I don't find the smaller barrels hard to work with. Just a few more things to be aware of.
 
Can I ask where you get your barrels and how much space a 10 gallon one takes up? If I could fit it into my alloted brew-space, it would make the perfect holiday gift (from me...to me). :cheers:
 
Well like most meadmakers i often think about running a brewpub/meadery and id ike to have a large barrel for personal experience before oepning a brewpub/meadery so i would already know what im doing when the times comes (if it comes). i was just wondering if you had any insights about one person handilng a barrel/barrels in their home.
 
It's not to bad.

Find a fairly permanent location for it. I have mine in home made cradles about 3 feet off the ground. This allows me to get carboys higher than it to rack into it and lower than it to rack out of it. (This works until I get a pump!)

I really think it helps get a better end result, and so is worth the little bit of extra work.
 
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