Are you thinking of procuring some wine barrels and wondering how long you can make good use of them? Surprisingly, the answer could be indefinite! While your purpose for getting them is to age wine which is one of the oldest traditions known to man, wine barrels have more to offer. How is this so?
In this article, we’ll go over everything that you need to know about making the best use of wine barrels. After all, they don’t come cheap, and a typical oak barrel can cost as much as $380. Hence, you would want to make the most out of them.
Wine Barrels for Aging Wine
Ageing wine in a barrel takes around five years on average. Beyond that, the wine barrel serves no other purpose other than a container as the oak has already imparted all the flavour that it can unto the wine.
Should you discard of the old wine barrel and transfer the wine to a new barrel? While that’s certainly an option, it’s not necessary. Most people don’t realize that you can extend an old wine barrel’s ageing cycle by shaving off some of the layers inside the barrel and re-char the oak. This way, you can age the wine using the same barrel for up to 10 years. Extended use beyond that can ruin the results, and you’ll have to replace the old barrel if you wish to age the wine even longer.
Repurposing an old wine barrel
So let us say that it’s been ten years — should you discard of your old wine barrel? Again, that’s not necessary as you can repurpose them for something else. For one thing, you can fashion old wine barrels into a decorative piece that represents your passion for wine tasting.
Look around the Internet for inspiration, and you’ll find plenty of ideas for repurposing old wine barrels. If you have plenty of them lying around, then you can even make some money out of it. Many people hire wine barrels for events, and you can also sell them off for a reasonable price.
Wine barrels hold historical significance to the winemaking community, which means there are plenty of things that you can do with them. For one thing, you can craft an old wine barrel to serve as a one-of-a-kind furniture piece for your home. No matter what you come up with, you are bound to end up with something that you can use to accentuate a wine cellar or a similar space where you share your enthusiasm for winemaking with other people.
One of the great things about old wine barrels is that they’re made of oak which is one of the most durable types of wood available. If properly cared for, furniture made from an old wine barrel can last for generations.
What things can you make out of old wine barrels?
The possibilities are limitless, and you are only limited by your imagination. You can start with something easy such as a rain catcher which would allow you to reduce your water consumption for applications like gardening, washing dishes or doing laundry.
More elaborate projects can include rustic garden planters, water fountains, tables and shelves. Imagine how impressed your winetasting buddies would be to see repurposed wine barrels serving as chairs and patio tables at homes. You can likewise turn them into serving trays, baskets and wine racks that you can sell or lease to others in the winetasting community.
The end of the wine ageing process can be the start of something new for an old wine barrel. It’d be a waste to throw them out when there’s plenty of things that you can do with them. Whether you repurpose them into a decorative piece or sell them off for profit, you will find that old wine barrels have more to offer beyond sitting there as an empty container.