Winemaking: Wine Trail Traveler » barrels

While the Wine Ages

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:01:51 +0000

Most wineries in the Northern Hemisphere have wine aging in tanks and barrels. Many home winemakers have wine aging in carboys and occasionally tanks or barrels. So what is there to do for winemakers and cellar masters during these cold winter days? Hibernation come to mind, however there are always winery tasks to attend. Generally this is a good time of year for cleaning and moving equipment. Winemaker D.J. Leffin moved several stainless steel tanks from the side of one wall to the side of the opposite wall. It was observed that water collected under these tanks every time the floor was washed. The floor of the opposite wall is a bit higher so the water will drain from that area. Winemaker Dave Zuchero also moved equipment around.

We helped Dave at Tin Lizzie Wineworks clean equipment, wash the floor and move equipment. Although extremely cold outdoors, the temperature in the winery was warm enough to encourage one to keep busy. The only challenge was washing equipment outdoors, a bit too cold for that.

Barrels do need some attention. Testing to see if malolatcic fermentation completed is one task. Topping off barrels is another task. Checking acid levels and determining how much if any acid to add is another activity. Racking to clean barrels and washing out barrels is an activity that helps pass the winter days.

Do winemakers ever get a vacation? Some do, often during the winter when they can spare a week or two. It helps if the winery has more than one winemaker or cellar master who can keep an eye on things. While on holiday, do they visit other wineries? Many do and enjoy the opportunity to exchange ideas. Every winery takes on it own personality. It is like meeting people, everyone is unique.

Angels’ Share

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:59:21 +0000

There are many activities that take place in a winery. One of those activities is topping off barrels of aging wine. Wine in barrels will evaporate. This is referred to as the angel’s share. I don’t know if angels are happier in California with all of its wine regions or Kentucky with its bourbon industry, but in either case there is evaporation. One difference, though, between winemaking and distilling bourbon is that winemakers top off. Law does not permit distillers to top off a barrel of bourbon. It is not uncommon to hear of a twenty-year old barrel of bourbon being opened just to discover that it has all evaporated. To make matters worse, the distillery had to pay taxes on that barrel all those years. Perhaps this is why many bourbons are bottled after eight to 14 years and you pay more for the longer it was aged.

The winemaker will check the barrels and add more wine to the barrel to keep it full. Home winemakers who age their wine in carboys have less evaporation, but may still have to top off. You may have noticed glass carboys at wineries. Often the wine in these carboys is used to top off barrels. Other wineries may keep the wine used for topping off in a variable capacity stainless steel tank.

The reason to keep the barrels topped off as well as the carboys filled to the neck is to reduce the amount of oxygen that can contact the wine. At this point in the winemaking process, oxygen contact is a bad thing. Not all winemakers use wine to top off barrels. Some will use an inert gas that fills the space in the barrel replacing the oxygen.

First decisions: the Vintner’s Work Order

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:07:30 +0000

If you are interested in making a barrel of wine at Vint Hill Craft Winery, your first decisions will be made when you complete the Vintner’s Work Order. Think of this as an application where you make some early decisions about the wine you want to craft. Your first decision is to select the grape(s) you’d like to use to make your wine. For the 2009 harvest you can choose between: Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Verdot from Virginia, or Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Syrah, Syrah and Zinfandel from California. If you are interested in a variety not mentioned, you can request it and the winery will attempt to acquire it. Some of the grape varieties have an additional charge such as Virginian Viognier and Petit Verdot and Californian Cabernet Sauvignon.

Your next decision is to determine what type of barrel you will use. Your choices include barrels made from Virginian, American, Hungarian or French oak. Each of these will add to your cost with the French oak barrels costing the most. The last decision is whether you want to add on different winemaking techniques that can affect your wine. Each of these will increase the cost of the wine. You can choose an extended cold soaking, post-fermentation maceration and additional six to ten months of barrel aging.

Based on your decisions, you will have an idea of the cost to create a barrel of wine. Price of the finished wine will range from lows around $20 per bottle to highs around $33 per bottle. You will bottle between 23 and 25 cases of wine, so another decision you can make is to make the barrel of wine by yourself or as a group. Making the wine as a group will certainly lower your cost and will lower the number of cases you will have after bottling. With the 2009 harvest, bottling will not take place until 2010 and if you decide to extend the barrel aging bottling may not take place until 2011.