Barrel Era

Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel From Pollack Vinyards

        So I finally took the plunge and bought a barrel.  I was going down to Charlottesville, VA for what turned out to be Midsummer's ( a weekend where a lot of UVA kids go back to Charlottesville between two summer school sessions) so I went on the Virginia Wine Exchange to see if any used barrels were being sold. I found an advertisement for clean neutral barrels from a winery just outside of Charlottesville at a decent price and decided it was a good a time as any to officially start barrel aging. The following Sunday Kelly (girlfriend) went out to Pollack Vineyards about 25 minutes west of Charlottesville to pick up the Cabernet Sauvignon barrel they had reserved for me.  The winery is beautiful and the staff was extremely helpful in discussing sanitation techniques and allowing me to look around and sniff the barrels available. I'm not very experienced with sniffing bungs but it smelled intensely of wine with no real vinegary or moldy scents.There was a hint of frustration/ disappointment from the staff that the barrel would eventually be inoculated with the very yeast and bacteria they worked so hard to keep out of the barrel during their stewardship. After loading the barrel into the car, Kelly and I did a  wine tasting, sat on the porch for a while just taking in the view, made a quick trip to Devil's Backbone for a flight and nachos, and then finally headed back to DC in the late afternoon.  I'll post my plan for the barrel once I've got it firmly established.

The Winery is in a valley surrounded by the
blue ridge mountains. This photo really doesn't give it justice