Barrel Planning Session with Our Winemaker

Meet with our Winemaker and plan out the details of your Custom Barrel package including wine style and oak profile.

Wine Style

This depends on your intended purpose and personal preference. Below is a list of options, that help us determine the style of wine you would like to make. You can choose on a sliding scale, so you can either go to the extreme on one end or try to find a balance in between.

• Bold vs Elegant
• Complex vs Approachable
• Opulent vs Lean
• Dry vs Sweet
• Crisp vs Soft
• Earthy vs Fruity
• Toasty vs Non-Toasty
• Deep Color vs Light Color

Below are some examples of other considerations that you can discuss with our winemaker.

• Do you want a more food friendly wine?
• Are you going to drink your wine soon, or lay it down to age?
• Who will be drinking your wine and what are their preferences? This is an important consideration if you will be serving your wine to other people, like at a wedding.
• Do you want to age your wine in an oak barrel or in stainless steel? Most red wines are aged in oak barrels, while white wines such as Chardonnay can go either way. A varietal such as Riesling generally stays in stainless steel.

Oak Profile

Brooklyn Winery offers an array of oak options and flavor profiles. The descriptions below offer general flavor profiles that you can choose, but the length of oak contact has a big impact too. Based on your preferences, we will monitor your barrel to achieve the desired oak level. Brooklyn Winery ages most wines in oak barrels, and uses removable oak inserts to control oak levels.

• French Oak - Spice and Vanilla notes that blend in well to help support a balanced wine. Can offer clove, toasted nut, caramel and mocha profiles also.
• American Oak - Generally more intense than French Oak, most notably with aromatics. Vanilla, smoke, clove, and black tea elements.
• Hungarian Oak - Vanilla, roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate, black pepper, and leather characteristics.
• Neutral Oak - No inserts are used, thus minimal oak flavors are extracted giving you a pure expression of the fruit.