4.3.1.a Container selection

What are the advantages of run-off into vats?

Running off wines into vats is very easy and is still the most common method. It has many advantages:

• It provides an opportunity to clarify the wine prior to barrelling

• It gives the exact volume of free-run wine in order to prepare and/or order the right number of barrels

• It allows temperature control when beginning malolactic fermentation

• It facilitates the possibility of micro-oxygenation

What are the advantages of run-off into barrels?

Running off into barrels is carried out when the objective is to rapidly integrate oakiness into the wine (see the section on Malolactic Fermentation) or when the volumes obtained are too small to be stored separately in vats.
Moreover, at this stage the wine is still saturated with CO2, so the barrelling will be carried out with a convenient protection against oxygen. During barrelling, some of the CO2 is released, which facilitates clarification.