Sounds incredibly waisteful way of making wine..used TWICE!
Is that common practice or is it just French ...or just for specific type of wine ?
I've got serious cider/alladin's cave envy now..that looks so interesting and ..hmm..'cosy'(I'm trying find a right word)
I can imagine sitting there, lantern lighting the shed..little sip of cider every now and then..bit of food and perharps even a dog under arm to scratch for. I'll leave to you imagination what sort of dog..
I think that its par for the course in the wine industry but I maybe wrong.
Cider makers who get barrels from the rum or whisky industry will on the other hand, be getting barrels that can be thirty, forty years old and even older.
Some of these barrels will never be empty, because as I take one lot of cider out of them, another load will go in. They are a bit like clinker built boats, in as much as they need to be kept moist to prevent shrinkage. When they aren't in use, they'll be full of the mixture that I mentioned in my previous post.
Last edited by Bodger on Fri Mar 08, 13 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42219 Location: North Devon
Posted: Fri Mar 08, 13 12:19 pm Post subject:
Once the oak's been used twice it doesn't impart enough flavour to the wine to be useful. Obviously people can go on using the barrels if they aren't aiming for new oak flavours but generally if you don't want those you'd ferment and/or age in stainless steel or cement 'cos it's a lot easier to sterilise.
The whisky and rummed barrels impart a fantastic taste, if that how you like your cider. Quite often the people who buy their barrels direct from these industries, actually end up with a few quarts of the real stuff thats been left in the barrel.
I spent all day yesterday emptying the new cider shed and then today, the timber for the stillages was delivered. Here's a picture to give you an idea as to how things will look when its completed. In total there will be twelve barrels in three rows. One of five, one of four and one of three.
Thats what I'm going to do Nick. I'm starting the job in earnest today. The timbers were delivered late yesterday afternoon and I cut them to size to get an idea of how things would look. I'll be using noggins and and metal straps to get things steady.
Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 34535 Location: Hereford
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 13 7:51 am Post subject:
How far apart are they? I've a bunch of 600mm steel spacing straps you're welcome to.
Its been a long hard day but its been worth the effort. We manged to complete the stillages and our new cider storage room is now finished and fully functioning. I really am very pleased with how its turned out. Its going to be a very functional and a useful addition to our budding cider business.
The zider zeason has started. I've just this second had a phone call from a pub in Abersoch to say that they'd like to try a 10 litre bag of our cider in their pub. Hopefully it should sell well and then that will take it to four pubs that I'm supplying. :chufted: :chufted: :chufted: I'm feeling dead chuffed.
sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42219 Location: North Devon
Bodge one thing I'll never understand is how you manage to do so much yet still manage to take pics and post about it on t'net. When I get the chance to do a bit of graft I just need to get that job done, never get time for pics etc.
Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 34535 Location: Hereford
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