Fall Has Arrived...Time to Prep Barrels

Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:07 AM by Dirk

I tend to remember years from Fall to Fall. (My Fifth grade teacher, Miss Wells (don't ask me how I remember that- I don't know) or harvesting the 1991 Far Niente Cabernet while a hot wind torched too much of Oakland.

Lots of different activities define "Fall."  School busses, (back to school sales...everywhere), soccer schedules, cool mornings, yellow leaves, political conventions and their surprises (not going there), Labor Day, and especially HARVEST!!!

We will start picking this week. It should be enough to get the equipment dirty but it won't make much of a dent in the work to come.

Most people think that harvest is all about picking grapes and making wine. Actually, it is. But, we have to get all the other parts of winemaking ready too; such as Barrels.

I love barrels. Judging by the price, the French love them too. At over one thousand dollars each (about the same price as my first car which also happened to be French), it is best to get great barrels and treat them well.

If you have never seen a barrel being made, you might check it out on line or see if you can visit a cooper when you are in the Napa Valley.  Seguin Moreau Cooperage in Napa has a great observation area where you can take a self-guided tour and watch the coopers at work.

We always check out the barrels when they arrive.

We unwrap them, check for any cracked staves (fancy word for the boards), look inside to judge the toast level (all barrels are toasted – not a Cheech and Chong term – to allow the staves to bend and to determine the flavor characteristics of the barrel), rinsed, checked for leaks and then stacked where they will be filled. Sounds simple? You should try it some time. Even rolling a barrel (only on the back head) has a technique that takes a little time to master so you don't look as if you are dancing with a bear who is leading.

We are quickly getting the cellar ready to receive the vintage.

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