What to do with the excess?
Everyone who has their own garden knows the problem: you look forward to the harvest for months, eagerly awaiting the first tomato, and then you don't know what to do with the excess and after tomato salad, tomato soup, tomato casserole, tomato mozzarella and tomato bread you can't stand the sight of tomatoes anymore.
We winemakers know this too. Once a year our cellar is bursting at the seams... and the rest of the year we live off of it. So what is the best way to store the precious liquid? This question has been answered very differently over the centuries:
- You know them from museums or archaeological sites: the first wines were stored in amphorae, i.e. clay vessels with a narrow neck. These were not really ideal, because the wine received too much oxygen through the porous walls, and that unfortunately does not do the aroma any good. They were also difficult to clean. Today there are still a few wines stored in amphorae, for special wines and vintages, for example in Georgia.
Photo: Wine amphoras of the ancient Romans
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Another solution was needed, and so resourceful winemakers developed the first wooden barrels. Due to various microbiological characteristics, these are ideal for storing wine. The wine's " information " is actually stored in the wooden walls and passed on over the years. This creates unmistakable aromas. Unfortunately, this also applies to negative impulses: once a pilsner (or an unpleasant taste) has settled into the wall, the barrel can be disposed of immediately.
Today, barrique barrels are particularly well-known and famous. They are made of oak and calibrated to 225 liters, because only in this size is the ratio of wood to wine ideal. Only these barrels can be called barriques (all others are plain wooden or oak barrels). Barrique barrels are flamed on the inside so that they give off the coveted roasted aromas. And they do this well, for about five to ten years. Then they have to be replaced. Jürgen Graf breathes a second life into the worn-out barrique barrels by transforming them into stylish wooden glasses. ( You can find out more about barrique glasses here. ) But back to the storage methods! - Another storage method was brick tanks. These were designed as "private apartments" for the precious wine. Tiled all around, with no windows and just a barrel door, they were basically a one-room apartment for the wine . The wine was then poured in and out of the tank through an opening, a so-called barrel hole, in the barrel door. Jürgen Graf's godfather still has such small one-room wine apartments in his old wine cellar, just a few steps from our winery (but unfortunately now only empty). Since the room was completely tiled, it could be cleaned easily and with natural products, because a clean environment was and is essential if the wine is to develop well. But as the "level" dropped, more and more oxygen got into the room, and that was exactly where the problem lay. In short: the wine could not remain as a sublet forever. It's a shame, because the idea of living next door to a whole room full of wine is extremely charming.
Photo: brick tanks
- The next step was GRP (fiberglass plastic) tanks . However, these eventually became porous and they also heat up quickly, making temperature control difficult. As a result, they quickly became obsolete. Today, most wine is stored in stainless steel tanks . The disadvantage: it is a very, very expensive raw material, as a small stainless steel tank for just 1,000 liters costs a mere 2,500 euros. But the advantages are immense:
- - Stainless steel tanks are virtually indestructible.
- The wine can be stored for almost an unlimited period of time without changing its quality or taste.
- They are extremely easy to clean - if you are small. Experienced winemakers know how to climb through the narrow opening with acrobatic contortions in order to clean the tank from the inside with a brush. A low body weight is therefore a basic requirement for suitability as a winemaker (fortunately not quite as strict as for jockeys.) As children we had a lot of fun and were thrilled when we could help with the cleaning. Putting on our rubber boots, armed with a waterproof lamp, brush and water hose, we scrubbed and hosed down the tanks (and ourselves) with great enthusiasm.
Photo: Our wine cellar at the Graf von Weyher winery
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And then there are the unusual wine storage places, which are more of an exception. These include granite barrels made of polished stone, concrete barrels (also called concrete eggs), glass balloons and many other rustic ideas.
At our winery we have a large number of stainless steel tanks and – for the crème de la crème of our wines – barrique barrels . But more on that in the next newsletter…
Your well-rested counts
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