Barrel aging

[WreckinBrewCo]

So I just ordered my first wine kit, im a fairly experienced brewer. I found a 5.5 gal new barrel on eBay.

I think I have a basic understanding of the wine making question. My questions are:
Should I primary in a carboy/bucket then secondary in the barrel?
Should I just dump it straight in the barrel and let it sit?
I plan on leaving it in the barrel 3-4 months, will I still need to add all of the clarification chemicals?

Thanks in advance.


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[DoctorCAD]

I'd primary in a bucket and secondary in a carboy. Let all of the lees fall out of suspension before ageing in the barrel. You shouldn't need any clairification additives, but it would take less time with them.

I have NOT used a barrel, but have read that you probably want to keep a sharp eye on a new barrel for over oaking.

 

[Twerp129]

Typical reds in a commercial winery would use 20-80% new oak, and they're aging in barrels with 10 times the capacity or more, so the surface areas exposed to oak are much greater with a small barrel.

With that in mind, to answer your questions you can certainly age on the lees and rack straight from primary to barrel. Aging on the lees will smooth out mouth feel and the lees help protect the wine from oxidation.

You could transfer to barrel, but in a new 5.5 gallon, presumably American oak barrel, I would be looking at leaving it in barrel for only a few days.