Wine Thieves and Bung Holes: The Basics of Barrel Tasting

Barrel Tasting weekend is just one week away and pre-barrel weekend starts tomorrow, folks!!!

This post was NOT titled in reference the customers OR tasting room staff who will be part of this glorious weekend, but to some fundamentals shared with us by our cellar hand and resident barrel topper/cleaner/connoisseur, Braden. Read on about barrel basics and the how and why of tasting from them so that you can sound impressive and knowledgeable and not like a bung hole (metaphorically in this case). 

Hoops and staves and wine stains

Barrel Parts:

1.     The barrel itself: made from oak (unless it’s stainless steel, which is a whole different ballgame) that is generally French, American, or Hungarian, and the storehouse of aging wine. In addition to origin, there are different species of oak, treatment techniques, and cooperages that contribute to a wine’s complexity (subtly, but surely). Barrels can be toasted to varying degrees (“vanilla, chocolate and caramel notes with medium to medium plus toast, smokey and bacony flavors with a heavier toast, things like coconut with a lighter toast….” —don’t even get Braden started on this topic.)

2.       Staves: the individual wood pieces of the barrel, bent over a fire

3.       Hoops: the rings of metal that hold the staves together

4.       The (infamous) bung: plugs the only access point to the barrel’s contents

5.       The wine thief: the tool that makes it all possible.

heheh...

Why Do It:

From a functional perspective, we barrel taste when we are considering what to blend with what (which barrels might go well together), to make sure nothing is spoiled or has anything funky going on, to see if we need to top or add SO₂, or if the wine is ready for bottling and later to be sold. There are a lot of reasons that functionally, we must barrel taste regularly.

(BUT) Barrel tasting is an opportunity that not many outside of cellar hands and winemakers get, so the pure uniqueness of the experience is another reason to: for the fun and excitement.

An interesting point Braden made about barrel tasting is this: wine tasted directly from a single barrel is its own unique wine. Once it is ready to bottle, every barrel is mixed together into one large tank, the resulting wine drunk from the bottle being the combined result. What you taste from a barrel is a singularly experienced sampling. Something pretty beautiful there.

Patrick, barrel tasting like a boss.

Now, at least from my perspective, you are an expert. May you barrel taste with the best of them—this and next weekend, April 27^th and 28^th, Chardonnay and Cabernet, all day (hey hey)!