Quality Assurance | Barrel 21

Wood Sourcing

Barrel 21 offers American and French oak barrels, hand-crafted and toasted in our own California cooperage from select staves naturally air-dried and seasoned for 24 or 36 months.

The American oak series showcases the unique grain, palette and aromatic profile by blending oak from regions known for producing superior quality American White Oak.

Our French oak barrels are coopered from a blend of premium French oak staves sourced from a variety of center-of-France forests known for fine grain wood.

Blend	Forest Region	Grain	Flavor Markers	Flavor Profile
Northern	Minnesota / Wisconsin	Fine	High Furfural Levels	Baked Bread / Caramel
Appalachian	Ohio / Pennsylvania	Medium	High Vanillan / Cislactone	Creamy Vanilla & Coconut
Ozark	Arkansas / Missouri	Coarse	High Guaiacol Levels	Toasty / Smokey
French	Center of France	Fine	High Furfural Levels	Baked Bread / Caramel

Northern Blend

Barrel staves are sourced from Minnesota and Wisconsin, naturally air-dried and seasoned for 36 months prior to production. Soft and subtle on the palette, this tight-grained blend imparts less aggressive oak characteristics and higher Furfural levels showing baked bread and caramel nuances.

Ozark Blend

Appalachian Blend

Coopered using 24 month, naturally seasoned oak grown in Pennsylvania and Ohio. This blend of medium grain oak has higher vanillin and cis-lactone levels, showing creamy vanilla and light coconut nuances.

French Blend

Our French oak barrels are coopered from premium French oak staves naturally air-dried for 30+ months from a variety of center-of-France forests known for fine grain wood.

Laboratory

Barrel 21 is at the forefront of analytical chemistry.

By using GCMS and HPLC screening technologies, the Barrel 21 in-house laboratory tests for off aromas, and identifies the nine oak flavor markers.

Incoming inspection, TCA and TBA testing:

All incoming wood is inspected for its cleanliness and tested specifically for TCA and TBA contamination.

Additionally, all water used in the coopering process for bending staves, pressure testing and humidifying the warehouse is filtered to remove any TCA and TBA.

Barrel Use and Care

Barrel 21 ships new barrels ready for immediate use, and recommends the following best practices for optimal barrel use and care:

Storing New Barrels

Barrel 21 ships each barrel with a protective film wrap. We recommend you keep the protective film wrap on each new barrel until you are ready to rehydrate, inspect and use it with wine.
Be sure to store new barrels in a cool, humid environment.

When you are ready to fill the barrel with wine, it is important to first follow these barrel rehydration and inspection instructions:

Rehydrating New Barrels (Use either cold or hot water)

Using Cold Water

Fill the barrel completely with filtered, chlorine-free cold water.
Rehydrate by allowing the barrel to stand for up to (but no longer than) 48 hours.
Examine the barrel for leaks. If leakage occurs, refer to leakage instructions below.
Drain the barrel and allow it to dry thoroughly (estimated 1 to 2 hours).

Using Hot Water

Fill the barrel with 5 gallons of filtered, chlorine-free hot water, using the hottest water available, ideally 180°F (82°C).
Insert a silicone bung snugly in the bunghole.
Completely wet the barrel’s interior by rotating the barrel from side to side.
Hydrate the head by standing the barrel upright on one head for up to 4 hours.
Repeat the process by rotating and standing the barrel upright on the other head for up to 4 hours.
6. Examine the barrel for leaks. If leakage occurs, refer to leakage instructions below.
Drain the barrel and allow it to dry thoroughly (estimated 1 to 2 hours).
Because internal pressure may build-up inside the barrel, take care when removing the bung.

Inspecting New Barrels for Leakage

If leakage is present, use chalk to circle the area where leakage occurs.
Drain the barrel and allow it to dry thoroughly (estimated 1 to 2 hours).
Examine the external area marked with chalk to be sure it is completely dry.
Repeat rehydration using cold or hot water, then re-examine for leakage.
If leakage continues, drain the barrel and contact customer service immediately.
Once you are certain the barrel is completely dry, treat it using 10g to 20g of sulfur sticks (or equivalent in sulfur gas) to discourage microbial growth.
Re-insert the silicone bung snugly in the bunghole.
Remember that water should not sit in a barrel for more than 48 hours without the addition of sulfur and citric acid.

Re-using Barrels

We recommend the following best practices for cleaning, storing and rehydrating empty Barrel 21 barrels previously used for winemaking.

Cleaning Barrels

Thoroughly rinse barrel with filtered, chlorine-free water until the drainage appears clear.
Drain the barrel and allow it to dry thoroughly (estimated 1 to 2 hours).
Once you are certain the barrel is completely dry, treat it using 10g to 20g of sulfur sticks (or equivalent in sulfur gas) to discourage microbial growth.
Insert a silicone bung snugly in the bunghole.

Storing Barrels

Be sure to store new barrels in a cool, humid environment.
Re-treat empty barrels with sulfur every 30 days.

Rehydrating Barrels

When you are ready to refill an empty barrel with wine, it is important to first follow the barrel rehydration and inspection instructions above.

Click here to download our instructions for proper barrel care and maintenance.