Steam cleaning wine barrels at Quintessa Winery in the Napa Valley

Wine Barrel Cleaning

Wine barrel cleaning or washing is one of the most important tasks in the wine cellar. Anytime the winemaker removes wine from a barrel, it must be washed and cleaned thoroughly. Any minute amount of bacteria that in the wine barrel can cause future spoilage of the wine. Wineries use various methods of cleaning wine barrels. Some use hot water and rinse the barrels several times. Others, as shown in the photo above, use a steam cleaning machine and tools to clean both the inside and outside of the barrels. One can only imagine the amount of time needed for cleaning wine barrels. Many of the larger wineries have hundreds of barrels. One of the favorite activities for wine country tourists and visitors is taking a tour that leads to the barrel room. When you visit a barrel room, most likely in one portion of the room or cave, a set of wine barrels will be in the cleaning process. The photo above was taken at the Quintessa Winery on the Silverado Trail. Please see article about our visit to Quintessa Winery.