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Cost Savings with Blasted Barrels Program
Barrel Blasting Net Savings on an Annualized Basis
Barrel Blasting as a technique has two primary advantages, one is the cryogenic quality. At 109 degrees below 0, dry ice has proven effective in removing mold spores, bacteria, fungus, and many other winery associated problems leaving winemakers a clean, sanitary vessel for their next batch of wine. The other important quality is that Barrel Blasting leaves the barrel's original toast intact. Our process exposes fresh toasted wood and increases the surface area of your barrel. By doing so, more wine comes in contact with more oak which can then impart the desired oak flavor component wine makers seek.
(see Oak Aroma Analysis Test Results)
Depending on the winery and the wine maker, the number of times a barrel is used for wine aging may be from one year to four years. The cost of the barrel becomes a fairly major component in the production process. With the price of oak barrels constantly on the rise, wineries are looking for ways to get more life out of their barrels.
If you were to run a "four year barrel replacement" schedule, you would find yourself replacing 25% of your barrels each year. But if you could get one additional year from your barrels without compromising your wine making process, you could save a significant amount of money each year.
We recommend barrel blasting your barrels between their third to fourth season for maximum cost benefit, which will bring back that desired second year flavor, thus extending the life of the barrel by one year. If you are looking to use a barrel 5-9 years old, we have also had great success insuring a great neutral barrel with maximum microoxygenation without adding off flavors or "old oak" background taste. Our process can be used on the same barrel more than once. Depending on your individual barrel maintenance program, using our process every other year until you retire your barrel will result in significant savings for your winery.
The following is an example of the annual savings for a 5,000 barrel program paying $800 for new barrels.
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Typical 4 year program
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4 year program gaining one additional year w/Barrel Blasting
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Barrel Program
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4 year
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5 year
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New
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1250
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1000
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1-year old
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1250
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1000
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2-year old
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1250
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1000
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3-year old
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1250
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1000
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Barrels blasted prior to 3rd season
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4-year old
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1000
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Annual New Oak Cost
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$1,000,000
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$800,000
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Annual Barrels to be Blasted
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1,000
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Annual Barrel Blasting Cost (at $50/bbl)
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$50,000
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Total Program Cost Per Year
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$1,000,000
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$850,000
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Annual Savings
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$150,000
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To run a calculation on your own data click here.
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