Volatile acidity and barrels

I usually make red wine in 6-8 gallon batches, always from grapes.
About 3-4 years ago, I started aging in small french oak barrels,
initially with really good results. But lately, I'm getting a
definite acetone smell in my reds, especially the cabs and nebbiolos.
I think I'm coming to the same conclusion that I've read in lots of
places...that "small barrels are like wooden sailboats...the idea
sounds great, but in practice they're more trouble than they're
worth". Usually, I just empty one barrel, wash it out with hot water,
then re-fill with another wine.

I have a couple of questions:
1. Once you have a problem with volatile acidity in a barrel, is
there any recourse other than to throw away the barrel?

2. When you empty your barrels, if you don't have another wine ready
to put right back in the emptied barrel, what do you put in it?

3. If I wanted to treat my barrels with something, what would you
use?

4. What is your experience with small barrels?

Thanks,

Lee
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: MLF in barrel?
    ... I just finished adding sulfur dioxide to 112 barrels of 2005 wine this week. ... Thirty PPM of SO2 was added to the grapes at the crusher, ... SO2 was added until MLF finished. ...
    (rec.crafts.winemaking)
  • Re: RSFC Wine chit-chat
    ... When wine-makers are fermenting their wines in wooden barrels, ... You don't char wine barrels, ... cerevisiae) is incapable of making methanol. ...
    (rec.sport.football.college)
  • Re: Brew your own recession beer like the ancients
    ... information on how long they would last if used for making wine. ... No ceramics there either. ... Ceramics may be convenient for distribution or storage, ... wooden barrels are still in use even though we also have access ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Barrel and wine cellar set up question
    ... One question that I am struggling with is how will I set these up to facilitate standard wine making operations. ... How would this work with barrels most of the barrel stands I have seen are too low for this method? ... If you don't wish to use a pump to move the wine, you could just build a rack that'll support the barrel a foot or two above the floor. ...
    (rec.crafts.winemaking)
  • Re: Yield per ton
    ... The standards in the industry are about 165 gallons per ton of red ... wine and about 150-160 for whites. ... Wine in barrels lose about 15% by ... which varietals do you expect to yield ...
    (rec.crafts.winemaking)