Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/246577
BARRELS donnay and Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains, director of winemaking Bill Brosseau said he uses Gamajet barrel washers powered by a Hotsy pressure washer using softened and dechlorinated water. Brosseau said he's found the Gamajet units provide a full revolution of contact every 3.5 minutes, and he sets a washing cycle for 8 minutes, tracked by a timer to help ensure all debris is knocked off the interior of the barrel. "My goal is to use impingement and time versus high heat, which I feel removes oak nuances," Brosseau told Wines & Vines. After cleaning, the barrel temperatures are around 130° F. "We know that if we do a good job of removing physical debris, we will not have any microbial pockets that will harbor nutrients when the barrel is empty." When faced with particularly troublesome tartrate residue, Brosseau said he soaks the barrels in a 5%-10% tartaric acid solution that pulls residual tartrates off the barrel. The process "seems counter-intuitive until you try it," he said. Brosseau said the winery doesn't have the proper ventilation for ozone, but he runs multiple Scorpion PCR tests through the year and has had no positive results for Brettanomyces. He's confident his washing system and general winery cleaning and sanitizing protocols—as well as a strict "one-way rule" for barrel sampling that prohibits pouring samples back into bar- A dirty barrel is pictured before being cleaned (left) and after cleaning with the Barrel Blasting system that employs dry ice crystals, which scour the interior barrel surface clean (right). 48 W in e s & V i ne s F E B R UARY 20 14 rels—keep the winery clear of microbial contamination. Other options for barrel washing include wash stations onto which forklift drivers lower two-barrel racks for cleaning as well as conveyer systems that can also incorporate racking and filling stations. Barrels essentially move down the line from racking to rinsing followed by high-pressure hot water and ozone rinses. Steam and water recycling Tom Beard Co., which is owned by P&L Specialties in Santa Rosa, Calif., is a specialist in manufacturing cleaning machines and systems. P&L president Ed Barr said the company is set to release a redesigned and improved two-barrel steam unit. He said the machine now sports a better bunging system to create a tighter seal and better vacuum after the barrel has been steamed. An onboard computer also allows the user to set the hold time for the seal. Barr said the unit features larger drain ports because the steam cleaner was generating "quite a bit more" material after each steam cycle than anticipated. The company is also set to release a new water-recycling, half-ton bin washer for the