Economic
As the economic side of winemaking gets tighter and tighter, the industry is increasingly aging wine in stainless steel tanks and wine barrels. When the desired “oakiness” is needed wine makers turn to oak alternatives in the form of chips, chunks or planks.
Costing pennies to the dollar, it just doesn’t always seem to make sense to keep buying new oak wine barrels when the economics of stainless steel wine barrels are tough to argue:
| Product | Initial Investment | Replacement Cost | Oak Alternative | Per Bottle Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 Gallon Oak Wine Barrel | $400 - $900 | $400 - $900 Every 3-5 years |
N/A | $3.00 |
| 55 Gallon Stainless Steel Wine Barrel |
$300 - $500 | None SS Barrels are 100% reuseable 100% recyclable 100% of the time |
$0.20 |
