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OAK ALTERNATIVES Stainless barrel designed to work with staves M battonage. A paddle, connected to the central shaft, odern Cooperage has developed a new stainless steel barrel designed for aging sweeps along the interior side of the barrel, stir- or fermenting wines with oak staves. ring the lees. The 78.5-gallon barrel encases a fan of staves The barrel can be filled and racked with standard that are centered on a metal shaft running wands. The central shaft has a hole near its center through the middle of the barrel. A handle cen- that aligns with the bung. Turning the fan to a posi- tered on the barrelhead is linked to the shaft, tion indicated by markings on the barrel exterior allowing cellar staff to rotate the fan in a com- ensures the shaft hole is lined up with the bung. Because the barrel is sealed during stirring plete circle. there's less oxygen pickup for wines such as Char- Patrick Pickett, a winemaker consulting on the project, said it allows winemakers to apply donnay, which may require repeated stirs. Instead, the exact amount of oak desired on a wine and the barrel can also be equipped with a diffuser stone on the interior shaft to allow a winemaker to apply a stir the lees without removing the barrel bung. specific oxygen amount. Pickett demonstrated using the barrel at this Pickett said the barrel costs a little more than a new year's Unified Grape & Wine Symposium. Staves slide into the barrel through a small hatch on the head and clip onto the racks. The surface area ratio of the staves to wine can provide an oak rate of up to 250% the equivalent from a new barrel. Once staves are in place and the barrel is filled, Pickett said another advantage is that the barrel can remain sealed during French oak barrel, but the savings mean it pays for itself after a few years. He said there's no evaporation, and reloading new staves each harvest represents a fraction of the cost of buying new barrels. A.A. WINERY/RETAIL/TASTING ROOM & CRAFT SHOP 65 Total acres; 12.5 acres established vineyards. 17 Additional tillable, suitable for vinifera grapes. Also 4 rental cabins, small petting zoo, 2 small outbuildings & equipment. Pond, stream & waterfall as well as Cayuga Lake views! $1,200,000 Call for our latest inventory! Mel Russo Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner Office: 315-568-9404 Cell: 315-246-3997 42 W in es & V i ne s AP R I L 2 013 97 Fall Street, PO Box 386 Seneca Falls, NY 13148 website: www.senecayuga.com e-mail: senecayuga@aol.com