The 1000-bucket barrel.
This step was carefully prepared at Lenz Moser over a long period of time: At the end of June 2017, the first part of an epochal event took place with the installation of the new 1,000-bucket barrel.
For engineer Ernest Grossauer (cellar manager from 1986 to 2018), the barrel became more and more of an inspiration in his daily work. How could new life be breathed into this gem? The wooden barrel itself – in the form of barriques and containers with a capacity of several thousand liters – has always been of great importance to Lenz Moser. The decision to return the 1,000-bucket barrel to its former significance therefore slowly matured.
Barrel capacity: 56,589 liters (1 Viennese bucket = 56.589 liters)
Weight: Approx. 13,000 kilograms
Number of staves: 108
Length of the staves: approx. 5.2 meters at the start and 4.9 meters after processing
Stave thickness: 8.5 centimeters
Average width of the staves: 14 centimeters
Floor thickness: Ten centimeters
Diameter of the thickest point: 4.65 meters
Barrel circumference of the thickest point: 14.6 meters
Lenz Moser NOAH
In autumn 2017, the 1,000-bucket barrel was put into operation as a ripening container. It was filled with a Cuvée of Blauer Zweigelt, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2017 vintage.
Dhe grapes for this wine were harvested in the vineyards of the Souveräner Malteser Ritterorden castle winery in Mailberg. Lenz Moser has been cultivating 50 hectares of vines there on a leasehold basis since 1969, ten hectares of which are Blauer Zweigelt, five hectares Merlot and five hectares Cabernet Sauvignon. The planned maturation period for the “premiere wine” was at least 18 months.
Cooper wanted!
The search for a cooperage that had both the skills and the necessary space proved to be much more complex. For example, the barrel staves for a small wooden barrel only have one bend, whereas the 1,000-bucket barrel requires four to six bends in the barrel staves . These must be coordinated, which requires a great deal of effort and skill. It is also important to ensure that the wood can withstand the pressure of the large quantity of wine . This requires, for example, the double bending of the bottoms (dam principle). Handling the 13,000 kilogram weight of the empty barrel also had to be mastered by the sought-after cooperage. We were all the more delighted that these complex requirements were met by Pauscha Austria since 1875 PA. Fassbinderei GmbH, based in Wolfsberg/Carinthia, was able to meet these complex requirements. The suitable oak wood for this major project was found in local forests and was felled by Klosterneuburg Abbey in 2009 and 2010.
Inauguration in two acts
The new 1,000-bucket barrel was installed at the Lenz Moser winery at the end of June 2017. It was filled for the first time in the fall of 2017 –with the grape varieties Blauer Zweigelt, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards of the Souveräner Malteser Ritterorden castle winery in Mailberg, which are cultivated by Lenz Moser. The grand finale was the ceremonial inauguration with the blessing and christening of the 1,000-bucket barrel . This ceremony took place as part of the Lenz Moser Autumn Festival on November 18, 2017. Provost Bernhard H. Backovsky Can.Reg. from Klosterneuburg Abbey performed the blessing. Mrs. Helga Bruckner, widow of former VOG board member Otto Bruckner, acted as godmother and gave the barrel the name “Noah”.
Wood selection & processing
Origin of the wood: From the waldungen des Stifts Klosterneuburg in the Vienna Woods near Klosterneuburg.
Racking: In December 2009 and January 2010.
Wood species: Sessile oak (Quercus petraea, winter oak).
The soil on which this oak grows is of great importance. It should be rather nutrient-poor and dry in order to force the oak to grow slowly. This results in close-growing wood with even annual rings, which is correspondingly hard and stable and has the ideal tannin content. The growing conditions of the wood are thus also reflected in the wine.
Criteria for the selection of logs: Healthy trunks, felling without damage.
Age of the trunks: Between 130 and 160 years (140 years on average).
Number of m³ for the barrel: At the start of processing there were around 40-50 m³ of logs, in fact around 1/3 of this was taken for the barrel construction (around 15 m³).
Drying time: Stored for two years, only then can the possible uses be seen. One centimeter of wood thickness takes about six months to dry. With ten centimeters of wood thickness, this is at least 60 months (= five years).
Firing time: Twelve hours firing time for bending the staves, twelve hours for toasting.
The bottom of the barrel closes the circle
A special feature of the original 1,000-bucket barrel was its ornately carved base, which is one of the largest in Central Europe. In 1953, the sculptor Sigrun Geppert (now Berger) was commissioned to create the design. Within six months, she created the motif “Noah receives the vine from the Lord God”. At the center is the scene from “Genesis (1st book of Moses)” which shows Noah receiving a vine. According to the Bible story, Noah is the first mentioned vineyard planter. The carvings also show parts of the winery, the villages of Rohrendorf, Krems and Dürnstein along with the church and ruins as well as Noah’s Ark with animals and plants.
This extraordinary barrel bottom is perfectly preserved and now adorns the front of the new 1,000-bucket barrel. It thus closes the circle to the 1,000-bucket barrel that previously served for decades.
Importance of the wooden barrel at Lenz Moser
The new 1,000-bucket barrel is the fascinating jewel in the crown of the Lenz Moser winery. In addition, wooden barrels generally play an important role in the ageing of wine here. There are an impressive 850 barriques in the Lenz Moser winery, as well as 17 large wooden barrels. Lenz Moser has been cultivating the tradition of barrique ageing since 1978, taking on a pioneering role in Austria. Over the past two decades, the large wooden barrel has experienced a renaissance at Lenz Moser. Blauer Zweigelt and cuvée partners such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mature in the 4,000 to 11,000 liter barrels.
Michael Rethaller, cellar manager since 2019, appreciates the natural aspect of wine maturation in wooden barrels – a natural product matures in a natural product. Specialist knowledge is required to mature a wine in wooden barrels, but the quality of the wine matured in them depends on intuition and experience. So even at a large winery like Lenz Moser, the focus is on the people themselves. With wines that bear the signature of the cellar master.
The construction of the 1,000-bucket barrel
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