Page 11 - GrapevineMarApr 2022

In The Winery

Barrel Sanitation:

All Methods Are Not Created Equal

By: Gerald Dlubala
Q uality winemaking requires quality ducing quality wine, there’s no doubt that cooper-

ingredients. Nothing new, you think. No
age is an expensive component in wine production,
big revelation there, you say. You take
great care of your vineyard, with con- always coming in near the top of the expenditure
list. Wooden oak barrels are challenging to clean
stant attention to the vines, fruit structure and soil. and sanitize because they are, by nature, part of a
Your timing is just right for pruning, harvesting and living organism that is porous and layered. Combine
the winemaking process. Then, after meticulously this with a small access point, and you have an
planning and carrying out the harvest, crush and environment that is susceptible to micro-organisms
fermentation with precision instruments and expe- that cause spoilage, with Brettanomyces being the
rience, it’s time to put that product into the barrels primary concern.
for aging.
Often labeled as a winemaker’s biggest sanita-
Are you as meticulous with your barrels? Even tion headache, Brettanomyces is a type of yeast
though grape quality is the main attribute in pro- found in nearly every stage of the winemaking

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