> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I got my first barrel this year, a French Oak 50 litre. I pre-soaked
> it to swell the staves and it leaked a lot. I had to run a garden hose
> into it all day and over night. I soaked it saturday and sunday and by
> monday morning, the leaking was nearly stopped but still leaks about a
> half a liter per night. This seems excessive to me. Over a three
> month aging, I don't have enough wine to keep it topped up.
>
> Will wine seal the barrel better than water?

No!

> Is this barrel defective?

Possibly.

> Should I just be a little more patient?

It would have been better to do this at the outset, but one thing you could
try is draining the barrel, setting it on end and tightening the hoops,
starting with the bilge (largest) hoops and working your way toward the
head. Reposition the hoop nails so the hoops don't slip back, and then turn
the barrel on its other head and repeat the process - again starting at the
bilge.

Use a chunk of steel bar stock and a small sledge to drive the hoops,
working your way around the barrel so as to drive them down evenly.

Fill the barrel with water and see if that does the trick. If not, I'd
return the barrel as defective. My guess is that it sat around too long
empty and dry after it was made.

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com