After a few days in a tank we racked our wine into a French oak barrel. We also helped to rack other wines into other barrels. The easy job was to place a wand (a long tube attached to a pump) into the tank. It could rest on the side of the tank until the wine was near the bottom, then you would have to hold in closer to the bottom. It didn’t take long to fill a barrel.
After some of the wine is in the barrel we placed Tan‘Cor, Tan‘Cor Grand Cru and Quertanin to the wine in the barrel. We then added more wine to the barrel. Tan’Cor is suppose to improve the overall structure of the wine and to help protect the wine from oxidation during aging. The Tan’Cor Grand Cru also helps with the wine’s structure while enhancing a softer middle palate. It also helps enhance the Cabernet Sauvignon fruit character. The Quertanin helps with wood neuances without the toast and smoke character. These three additions to the barrel sort of jump starts the aging process.
Filling the barrel to the top was easier said than done. I wonder how many gallons were spilled onto the sides of the barrels and the floor. However, we all had accidents with filling barrels including DJ, the winemaker. I knew when the wine reached the top of the barrel but wasn’t fast enough with the turn off valve on the wand. Kathy did the best job of filling barrels without spilling as much wine. It was fun filling a barrel. I was sent to the lab to get more batches of the three aging tannins. My lab skills are improving.
View a short slide show of the racking process.
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