Guides
Commissioning of wine barrels - new as used
Preparing a new wine barrel for use
When the wine barrel is delivered, the wood is brand new and there may be some sawdust and grinding dust in the barrel. This can be nice to get out before your precious drops get into the dish.
Similarly, wood is a natural material that works constantly, depending on temperature and humidity. Therefore, the wood must be “saturated” with water so that all small gaps can be sealed.
It’s a bit a matter of taste which method you think is best, but here are two options. Some use only method A, others only method B, and some use both methods before commissioning. Our experience is that method An is best for sealing small cracks.
Method A:
1. Fill the barrel completely with cold water.
2. Leave the barrel filled for 48 hours.
3. Empty the drum, rinse it with fresh water and allow it to empty completely. Look for sawdust when emptying it, otherwise repeat with several flushes.
Method B:
1. Fill the drum with approximately 20 litres of very hot water (175 ° F/80 ° C).
2. With the drum upright, rotate both ends for at least two full turns. The plug must be in place.
3. Place the barrel with the plug hole at the bottom, move it from side to side to allow the barrel to rotate the water. Repeat this operation so that the barrel makes four complete turns. Remove the plug and allow the drum to empty completely.
What to do if a leak occurs anyway:
1. Empty the drum completely and let it dry for about an hour with the plug hole facing downwards.
2. Retest the barrel using method B.
3. Empty the drum, rinse it with fresh water and allow it to empty completely.
Taking a used wine barrel into use
Check the wine cask for unwanted smells - especially if it smells of vinegar. If you are in doubt about the suitability of the wine barrel due to smell, so do not use it. You can ruin your precious wine.
Then follow method An or B above.
Cleaning used wine barrels
Rengør den brugte vintønde efter enten metode A eller B:
Metode A:
1. Skyl tønden flere gange med koldt vand, indtil rensevandet bliver klart. Er tønden meClean the used wine barrel according to either method An or B:
Method A:
1. Rinse the drum several times with cold water until the cleaning water becomes clear. If the barrel is very dirty, you can use Soda. Rinse thoroughly with water.
2. Place the barrel with the plug hole facing downwards and allow the barrel to dry completely.
3. Sulphur with 10-20 grammes of sulphur wick per barrel. Sulphurize regularly, approximately every 4-6 weeks.
Method B:
1. Start by rinsing the barrel with cold water and then with very hot water (175 ° F/80 ° C) until the water becomes clear.
2. Place the barrel with the plug hole facing downwards and allow it to dry completely.
3. Sulphur with 10-20 grammes of sulphur wick per barrel. Sulphurize regularly, approximately every 4-6 weeks.
Note: our barrels are not sulphurised on delivery as they are brand new.
Small barrels can be cleaned in water with sulphur powder. approx. 1 gramme per 5 litres of water.
get beskidt kan du bruge Soda. Skyl derefter med rigeligt vand.
2. Læg tønden med prophullet nedad, og lad tønden tørre helt.
3. Svovl med 10-20 gram svovlvæge pr. tønde. Svovl jævnligt ca. hver 4-6 uge.
Metode B:
1. Start med at skylle tønden med koldt vand og derefter med meget varmt vand (175 ° F / 80 ° C), indtil vandet bliver klart.
2. Læg tønden med prophullet nedad og lad den tørre fuldstændigt..
3. Svovl med 10-20 gram svovlvæge pr. tønde. Svovl jævnligt ca. hver 4-6 uge.
Bemærk: Vores tønder er ikke svovlet ved levering, da de er helt nye.
Små tønder kan med fordel rengøres i vand tilsat svovlpulver. ca. 1 gram pr. 5 liter vand.
If the drum straps fall off
When the wood dries out on a barrel, it is quite normal for the ends of the barrel to slip off (normally they are intended for wine that keeps them moist). So when a barrel is placed indoors where there is typically dry air, we recommend that you strap some screws into the wood so that they do not risk falling off again.
You can easily reattach the drum ends by (in this case, turning the drum) tapping them down with a hammer and, if necessary, using a large screwdriver to be able to hit the end of the belt. If you then wet the barrel by spraying it with water, for example, the wood expands and stretches out on the barrel straps so that they are firmly attached again.
If a barrel is standing outdoors, it will rarely be a problem for the end of the barrel to fall off.
Wine barrel storage
1. If a new wine barrel is to be stored, it is best to leave it wrapped in foil. A used wine barrel should preferably be able to “breathe”, possibly wrapping it in an old blanket or something else to protect it from the light.
2. Preferably store wine barrels in a place with the following characteristics:
Humidity around 70-80%.
The absence of moving air streams.
Dim light.
Covered with a blanket to avoid unnecessary exposure to UV light.
3. After a longer storage period, prepare the barrel using method An in section “Preparing a new wine barrel for use”.
4. Remember to sulphurize the inside of the barrel every 4-6 weeks.
After 1 year on oak
The impact of the barrel with regard to notes from the oak will decrease after 1 year of storage. A rule of thumb is that the wine must have twice as long a 2nd year of ageing if you want to get the same intensity as the 1st year of ageing. Alternatively, you can supplement with oak chips.