Valley Vines to Wines
Great Wine is Yours for the Making
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Oak Barrel Ageing
Valley Vines provides bulk ageing in Oak Barrels for our customers. This involves putting 10 batches of the same wine into an oak barrel where it enjoys protected breathing through the oak. If you have experienced the difference time in the bottle makes to your wine, the oak barrel does the same job quicker and gives you a wine that is as much as 6 months ahead in the process. (Several customers age all of their red wines in oak barrels). We have 10 barrels going at any one time.
A list of wines that are going to be barrel aged is available for you to review. We use reconditioned barrels that are bought from Okanagan Barrel Works in Oliver BC. They take the used barrels apart, scrape them down recondition, re-toast and re-cooper. If we used new barrels there would be a strong oak flavour that would compete with the balancing already perfected by our winemaker, who already creates the kits with the appropriate oak to fruit balance. Our barrels impart very little oak to the wine but the benefit of allowing the wine to breathe through the oak comes through in the finished product.
The following is a list of the barrels currently available:
| Wine | Date to Start by | Date for bottling | Spaces left |
| Luna Rossa | when barrel full | 2012 | 9 |
| French Chardonnay | when barrel full | 2012 | 3 |
| Italian Amarone | March 30, 2012 | August 10, 2012 | 8 |
| Italian Barolo | March 2, 2012 | July 13, 2012 | 5 |
| Spanish Matador Trio (April LE) | April 13, 2012 | August 24, 2012 | 7 |
| Washington Meritage (January LE) | now | May 25, 2012 | 2 |
| Stag's Leap Merlot | March 16, 212 | July 27, 2012 | 8 |
| California Petit Syrah/Zin (February LE) | February 10, 2012 | June 22, 2012 | 2 |
Note:. Limited Edition start dates will be subject to demand and number of barrels needed. 3 barrels have been reserved for each wine but can be adjusted to demand.
To learn more please contact us.