barrel tasting Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Barrel Tasting at Freemark Abbey’s Grand Re-Opening

This past Saturday, it was truly a grand time at the Freemark Abbey’s Grand Re-opening of their newly-furbished visitor center and tasting room. The winery was purchased a few years ago by Jackson Family Wines. Freemark Abbey was established in 1896 and has been operating in this location ever since. The grand-reopening event was a wonderful experience. Over 300 guests attended and enjoyed a tasting of several current Freemark Abbey wines. The barrel tasting pictured above included a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and a library tasting of a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. To complement the wine, attendees were treated to some delicious appetizers and live music. The wine rooms and outdoor areas are very inviting for wine country travelers. It is a winery where one can see and feel the history of wine in the Napa Valley. One excellent addition to Freemark Abbey is a new restaurant, Two Birds – One Stone, located in the historic Lombarda Cellar. The Freemark Abbey Winery is located just north of the St. Helena downtown area on Highway 29. The tasting room is open daily from 10am to 5 pm. Other nearby wineries include St. Clement, Ballentine, and Duckhorn Vineyards.

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Barrel tasting includes wine aging in stainless steel tanks

Barrel tasting in wine country

One educational activity a wine lover can experience is barrel tasting in wine country. Barrel tasting in wine country is a general term that wineries use for tasting wine that is aging either in a stainless steel tank, as seen in the photo, or taking a sample of wine from the barrel. In general, white wine is sampled from the stainless steel tank and red wines from the barrel. The 2014 vintage has been completed and most of the wines are in the tank. It is a great experience to taste fresh white wine juice as it ferments or as it sits aging in the stainless steel tank. Finding a winery that allows visitors to taste from the tank or barrel is not that easy. Some winery tours offer barrel tasting and others offer barrel tasting only to their wine club members. One association offers a huge weekend event strictly for barrel tasting at all of its member wineries. WineRoad.com represents wineries in the Healdsburg and Russian River areas of Sonoma County. Each March they have a two-weekend event of “Barrel Tasting.” See the Wine Road for complete barrel tasting activities.

The wine thief tool

For tasting out of the stainless steel tank, the winemaker will simply need to turn the spigot on the tank. The barrel is a little more involved. The bung on the barrel must be removed. The winemaker inserts a glass tool called a wine thief and draws wine from the barrel. The winemaker holds his or her thumb on top of the wine thief and then releases the thumb over the glass. Most young tank or barrel samples are very fruity, young- tasting wine. It is fun to compare a wine that has been aging for a year from one that is from the most recent harvest. The difference is dramatic.