Saury French Wine Barrel

[GCB3]

A friend of mine is in the wine business in Napa, CA, USA. He gave me a used, 53 gal Saury wine barrel. I’ve been using it this last year just as a decoration in my den. Now that I’m trying to design a brew shed for my hobby, I thought about using it as a water reservoir for recycling cooling water. But, after looking at the markings and doing a little internet searching, I think I have a used, French White Oak, Burgandy keg. It would take me the better part of a year to fill it for aging and I’d lose the ability to evaluate different washes, etc with a year’s production in one barrel. So, using it for aging doesn’t seem to make sense right now.

However, using it for recycling water seems like a sin! Guess I could disassemble it and make aging sticks. Anybody have any good suggestions?

[Copperhead road]

You could cut in half, use one half for a coffee table in your man cave come still room and use the other half to make a variety of homemade sticks for aging. Medium toasted, heavy toasted, and charred and do some experimenting with what suits your palate.

[GCB3]

Thanks Copperhead. That’s what I’m wrestling with. From all my reading here, French Oak is not all that easy to come by and I don’t want to make some boneheaded decision that wastes it. I just can’t fill a 53 gallon keg and live long enough to enjoy it! Does the Beatles tune “When I’m 64” ring any bells?
It’s really a nice piece of work, so, I’d like to preserve it, but, making toasted sticks ma be the best use.

[Oldvine Zin]

It's just a bunch of french oak staves not a piece of precious art. Since you or many of us can't fill a barrel of that size just dissemble it and have an almost lifetime oak to add to aging jars. We pitch a few dozen of those barrels away each year at the winery, having that much used french oak at my disposal I still prefer a nice new small Gibbs barrel for my spirits.

OVZ

[GCB3]

Thanks OVZ. That’s exactly what I did. And you are right, I now have more Oak than I’ll need for a long, long time.
I know it’s not art, but, when you’re not in that liner of work, where you can discard them, they seem a little more special and they are hard to come by in our part of the world!
I understand the Bourbon producers only use a barrel one time. What is the norm in the wine industry?

[HDNB]

i think i'd cut it to cubes and use a chisel to knock off the outside (never know what was "on" it) then i'd alligator char the newly exposed side.
leave the wine side - the wine will give over a nice fruit note in finished whiskey or rum.

one of the crafties here is using ex - wine and his first release has an unmistakable apricot flavour note. damn decent for a young whiskey.

french oak is spicier than 'merican. really nice spank for a whiskey.

[JellybeanCorncob]

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a once used wine barrel made with Hungarian Oak for 10 bucks. A very well made barrel made by "Trust" barrels. They sell new for Hundreds of dollars. I was lucky enough to buy the used barrel from a friend who is in the business.
I cut the barrel in half, and made staves with one side and gave the other half to my wife for a planter box. She's happy, I'm happy, and my booze is happy.
JBC

[Oldvine Zin]

I cut the barrel in half, and made staves with one side and gave the other half to my wife for a planter box. She's happy, I'm happy, and my booze is happy.
JBC

OVZ

[Oldvine Zin]

I understand the Bourbon producers only use a barrel one time. What is the norm in the wine industry?

Three years is considered a neutral barrel, we never go past that for a percentage of our table wines.

OVZ

Edit to say three use

[Copperhead road]

I understand the Bourbon producers only use a barrel one time. What is the norm in the wine industry?

Three years is considered a neutral barrel, we never go past that for a percentage of our table wines.

OVZ

Edit to say three use

What do you mean by the term neutral barrel

[Oldvine Zin]

What do you mean by the term neutral barrel

The barrel no longer imparts oak flavors to the wine, they however still breathe.

OVZ