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TE CHNOL OG Y Typically, the barrel heads are removed and reinstalled later. In the Phoenix process, however, the heads are discarded and will be replaced with new heads made of either French or American oak. After the heads are removed, the barrel is placed upright in the Phoenix, where it receives an optical scan by a machine. A robotic arm equipped with a rotary head then shaves 8mm (about 1/3-inch) off the interior of the barrel. Once shaved, the barrels are toasted with infrared heat. The computer-guided shave arm ensures exceptional preci- sion along the shape of the barrel, Dahlberg said, and complete removal of all wine-saturated wood and possible microbial con- tamination. "It's a precision-guided way to do something they've been doing for a long time," he said. "It's precise and efficient." Dahlberg said the system should be installed by this summer, in time for wineries to use Phoenix barrels as part of their 2012 vintage. He said that to promote their Phoenix system, the staff at Diverse Barrel Solutions made the "canny" move of offering 200 free barrels for trials. Dahlberg said winemakers were impressed by what he described as a clean profile that seemed to integrate well with wine. "Unlike neutral oak, the wines taste quite developed, smoother. " Oak for the new French barrel heads is 24-month Center of France from the Canadell stave mill. The American oak is 24- month Missouri Ozarks from Caldwell Lumber Inc., according to product information from Phoenix. Dahlberg said a French oak Phoenix barrel would cost around $300-$450, and an American barrel about half of that. He said the new heads are the most expensive part of the process. WineSecrets has a partnership with Premium Wine Cask to sell Phoenix barrels. ReWineBarrels, a Salem, Ore.-based company, opened in 2009 offering shaving and toasting services. The company claims it can At Barrel Builders, used barrels are rotated around a shaver for a rough shave (above) and finished with a hand planer prior to toasting. not only restore barrels but also eliminate Brettanomyces con- tamination through its two-hour toasting process, during which the internal temperature of the barrel can reach 400°F. Quality Wine Barrels of Paso Robles, Calif., will recondition barrels by hand, according to cooperage and warehouse manager Matt Freeman. He said a shaved barrel is pretty similar, but more affordable, than buying a once-filled barrel. Although some may express concerns about toasting recondi- tioned barrels, there is little doubt about the process being an option for lowering the overall costs of an oak program or to extend the life of barrels. Before sending out a batch of old barrels to become planters, consider whether they could survive another vintage with just a quarter-inch shave. America's Wine Trails App NOW AVAILABLE! Discover over 6,000 American wineries & over 260 wine trails Download for FREE at AmericasWineTrails.com FOOD DIAGNOSTICS COST EFFECTIVE WINE ANALYSIS TEST MENU INCLUDES Acetic Acid Ammonia Copper Ethanol Glucose/Fructose Citric Acid Free + Total S02 Lactic Acid Iron Malic Acid Potassium TAS NEW TESTS COMING SOON NOPA Tartaric Acid T +1 304 728 2890 E enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com www.randoxfooddiagnostics.com Wines & Vines JULY 2012 47 AV984RFD-Cost effective Wine analysis MAY12.indd 1 14/05/2012 08:57