This year I'm considering doing my MLF in barrel. In the past, I've
waiting til MLF completed in glass before transferring to the barrel.
The trouble is that I'm using 15 gal barrels so I'm having difficulty
locating suitable bored silicone bungs to hold an airlock. Anyone know
of a source for these? Would a fermentation bung work ok for this?
Any opinions on the Ferm-rite bungs? As always, thanks for your help.

RD

I have always just used a fermentation bung and have had no problems.
Tim

"RD" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> This year I'm considering doing my MLF in barrel. In the past, I've
> waiting til MLF completed in glass before transferring to the barrel.
> The trouble is that I'm using 15 gal barrels so I'm having difficulty
> locating suitable bored silicone bungs to hold an airlock. Anyone know
> of a source for these? Would a fermentation bung work ok for this?
> Any opinions on the Ferm-rite bungs? As always, thanks for your help.
>
> RD
>

A bung is a bung, so long as it does the job?

I have always wanted to try MLF in the barrel but I have been hesitant since
MLF does not like SO2 and I am afraid to leave my barrel with non sulfited
wine.

Joe

I've felt the same way, but I'm working up the nerve to do it this
year. I'm hoping to get some feedback from those who've done this -
particularly with reds.
RD

I just finished adding sulfur dioxide to 112 barrels of 2005 wine this week.
Thirty PPM of SO2 was added to the grapes at the crusher, but no additional
SO2 was added until MLF finished. After fermentation, the wines were placed
in tanks for a couple of weeks and then moved into barrels for aging.
Over the past three months, 50 PPM of sulfur dioxide was added as each wine
finished MLF, but about 1/3 of the barrels when without SO2 from early
October, 2005 until January 11, 2006.
--
Lum
Del Mar, California, USA

"RD" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I've felt the same way, but I'm working up the nerve to do it this
> year. I'm hoping to get some feedback from those who've done this -
> particularly with reds.
> RD
>

Thanks for all your input. My Cab's pH is 3.3 and the only sulfite
(added prior to alcohol fermentation) was 25 ppm. I think I'll give
this a go.
RD

"Pino" > wrote in message
. ..
>I have always wanted to try MLF in the barrel but I have been hesitant
>since MLF does not like SO2 and I am afraid to leave my barrel with non
>sulfited wine.
>
> Joe

I believe there are some ML cultures that supposedly can withstand pH down
to 3.2 and SO2 less than 50ppm. If you got your pH down to about 3.35 to
3.4 range and your SO2 in the 35 to 40 ppm range the Enoferm_Alpha strain
might work.

http://www.sonic.net/~vinquiry/pdf/ENOFERM_ALPHA_5-31-002.pdf#search='enoferm%20alpha'