Barrel Red

Barrel Red

Making Red Wine

Among the many types of wine available, red wine is among the best. There are many types of red wine available, although most are made using the same methods.  This very exhilarating type of wine is made from black grapes, drawing their color from the skins of the grapes. 

During the beginning stages of making red wine, the grapes that have been picked are put into a crusher.  Here, the crusher will gently break the skins of the grapes.  Depending on what type of wine is being made and the tannin that’s required, the stalks will either be used or discarded at this point.  Next, the grapes are put into a fermentation vat with the skins.  This can be a long process, taking several weeks to complete.  If a higher temperature is used, more tannin and color will be extracted from the grapes.

When making soft wines, the whole grapes are fermented using sealed vats.  The carbon dioxide that becomes trapped in the sealed vats ferment the grapes under pressure, which is normally a quick process, taking only a few days.  Keep in mind, the color and tannin content of the wine is based on how long the fermenting process takes.  If the fermenting process takes a long time, the wine will generally hold more flavor and color.

The remaining bulk of the grapes will go through a press, being crushed to create a tannic wine.  Sometimes, this tannic wine is added with a free run wine in order to add a bit more structure to the wine blend.  Both the press and vat wine are then mixed and transferred to either tanks or barrels for a second fermentation.  The second fermentation will take the longest, although it brings out the quality and taste from the wine.

All types of fine red wine will spend a minimum of a year in the barrels.  Some types of red wine will spend a lot more time in the barrels, possibly several years.  Red wine is also fine tuned with egg whites, which will suspend the yeast and other solids found in the wine downwards, before the wine is racked, filtered, and eventually bottled.  Once the wine has been bottled, it is then shipped off and sold.  Some wine however, will be stored for a period of time in the bottle before it is offered for sale.

The time a wine spends in the bottle is very important, although not every wine needs to spend a lot of time in the bottle.  The more complex and more expensive types of red wine will benefit the most from aging in the bottle, to preserve flavor and color.  The simple types of red wine however, don’t need to spend much time at all in the bottle.

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What is the best way to clean a red wine barrel for use as a planter?

I have a half wine barrel that was used for a dark red wine (the inside is stained red). I have heard that these can be hazardous for the plants. What is the best way to clean it out so that I can use it as a planter without killing my plants?
I live in wine country and yes, this is recently cut open. You can still smell the VERY strong smell of burgundy from the barrel - just by standing near it.

I really don't think the residue that is left in the barrel will hurt anything.
But you can clean it with, vinegar, even use baking soda. The vinegar about a cup and scrub the surface If you use baking soda wet the barrel and sprinkle the dry baking soda on and use a brush to clean it. Either way you will need to rinse it out well. Let it dry completely. before you use it.
You might want to consider if you haven't already having holes drilled into the bottom.

http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/splitbarrelplanter.htm

The red wine stain remains in the barrels are natural and do not effect your planting in any way if you do use these barrel planters as water garden containers. The red stains can be minimize by using baking soda to clean out some of them, but complete elimination of the stains will take several times of water change.

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