AU2003100793A4 - Wine flavouring apparatus - Google Patents

Description

-1- WINE FLAVOURING APPARATUS FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to wine making. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a wine flavouring apparatus adapted to impart an oak or timber aged character to wine in barrels or containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The making of wine by aging in wooden barrels or casks is a well known and age old process. Wine stored in traditional wooden barrels, over a period of time, absorbs or assumes the character of the timber used to make the barrels.

Typically, the timber used by coopers, commissioned to make the barrels is French or American oak which flame roasted on the inside surface as the barrel takes shape. After a number of years of usage and contact with the wine, the internal surface of the barrel gradually loses it's ability to impart the oak aging character. To continue using older barrels, strips of fresh toasted oak are normally inserted into the barrel via the bung hole at the top of the barrel. A disadvantage or limitation to this method is that the fresh oak strips eventually settle at the bottom of the barrel and are thereby ineffective. There is also the possibility that the oak strips will overlie one another thereby reducing the surface area exposed to or in contact with the wine. In the alternative, one end of the barrel can be removed and an assembly of fresh timber straps or strips is positioned circumferencially along the side surface of the barrel. As would be appreciated, this latter process is labour intensive and requires the barrel to be -2emptied and re-constructed resulting in great expense to a wine maker especially as there are normally hundreds if not thousands of barrels involved.

Modern day solutions include the use of inert material fermentation tanks, typically stainless steel tanks. To impart the oak aging character to wine fermented in such tanks, purpose designed assemblies of timber are introduced into the tanks in a similar fashion but on a much larger scale to that described above with respect to wooden barrels. In this case there is no need for the dismantling of the barrels and access to the inside of the fermentation tanks is available when the tanks are to be cleaned. Similarly, however the tanks have to be emptied and decommissioned for the renewal of the timber assembly components. In any event, the disadvantages associated with the conservation and re-use of the older wooden barrels are not solved and they are often washed or re-used for other purposes such as for novelty planting beds, feeders for livestock and other non wine making uses.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to seek to ameliorate some of the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art system of aging wine in wooden casks or barrels or to at least provide the public with an alternative and useful choice.

-3- STATEMENT OF INVENTION In one aspect, the invention resides in a wine flavouring apparatus including in combination a plurality of longitudinal timber members adapted to impart a timber aged flavour to wine being aged in a barrel or container, the timber members hinged together end to end so as to be able to collapse by folding in concertina fashion, the arrangement when unfolded and straightened is adapted to be inserted into a bung hold of the barrel or container and wherein on contact with the inside of the barrel or container is encouraged to re-collapse into a partial concertina configuration so as to be able to be completely contained inside the barrel or container and immersed in the wine.

Preferably each longitudinal member comprises of a multiplicity of timber slats spaced apart by being interleaved and hinged with slats of adjoining longitudinal members thereby providing a greater surface area exposed to the wine than if the longitudinal members were of a solid configuration.

Typically the timber members are of oak which has been treated by roasting in an oven or over an open flame.

Preferably the timber slats of each longitudinal member have holes positioned substantially at either end for hinging together with the slates of adjoining longitudinal members in end to end fashion by means of hinge members.

-4- Suitably the hinge members are stainless steel, plastic or other inert food grade material. In the alternative the hinge members can be of the same timber as that used for the slats.

Preferably there are means to prevent a complete collapsing of the apparatus on insertion into the barrel or container. Preferably the means to prevent the complete collapse of the apparatus comprise transverse pin members insertable into holes located in corresponding positions substantially proximal to the hinge pin members of each longitudinal member.

Preferably the transverse pins are removable to allow complete collapsing of the apparatus for compact packaging and storage purposes and are only applied to the longitudinal members prior to insertion in the barrel or container.

Suitably the transverse pins are of the same inert food grade material as the hinge pin members.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order for the invention to be better understood and put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying illustrations wherein: Figure 1 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention according Example 1, Figure 2 shows the invention of Figure 1 being inserted into a barrel, and Figure 3 shows the invention of Figure 1 in operation inside the barrel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Example 1 Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a preferred wine flavouring apparatus of the invention according to Example 1. Figure 1 shows a side view of the apparatus wherein each longitudinal member 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 comprises a multiplicity of thinner timber oak slats which are hinged together in interleaving fashion with the slats of adjoining longitudinal members. In this example, the hing pins 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 are stainless steel screws, however the pins can also be made of plastic or of other inert food grade materials. Also show are holes 42, 44, 46 for the insertion of transverse pins to prevent the apparatus from collapsing completely when inserted into a barrel. The transverse pins (not shown) which can also be of stainless steel or other inert food grade material are not initially installed in the holes so that the apparatus can be completely collapsed for packaging purposes. Prior to insertion into a bung hole of a barrel, the transverse pins are inserted into the apertures or holes in the longitudinal members which are located proximal to the hinge pins. The transverse pins prevent the longitudinal members from collapsing completely and it will be evident that the degree of the collapsing depends on the proximity of the transverse pins to the hinge pins.

Figure 2 shows the invention of Figure 1 in use wherein the apparatus 10 is straightened by unfolding for introducing the apparatus into a barrel 50. Prior to -6insertion into the bung hole 52 of the barrel, the transverse pins will be inserted into the holes in the longitudinal members 12, 14, 16, 18 to prevent a complete collapse of the apparatus when it is completely installed in the barrel. It will be evident that the interleaving spacing of the oak slats 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b of each longitudinal member enables a greater surface area of the wooden slats to be exposed to the wine in the barrel.

Figure 3 shows the apparatus of Figure 1 inside a wooden barrel 50. The contact of the apparatus 10 with the inside surface of the barrel 50a causes a partial collapse of the apparatus which is limited by the transverse pins 52, 54, 56. It will be evident that by this arrangement that the apparatus will be in contact with the wine preferably in an upright position and will not collapse completely to lie at the bottom of the barrel thereby limiting the surface area in contact with the wine.

VARIATIONS

It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

Throughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprises" and "comprising" are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims (10)

1. A wine flavouring apparatus including in combination a plurality of longitudinal timber members adapted to impart a timber aged flavour to wine being aged in a barrel or container, the timber members hinged together end to end so as to be able to collapse by folding in concertina fashion, the arrangement when unfolded and straightened is adapted to be inserted into a bung hold of the barrel or container and wherein on contact with the inside of the barrel or container is encouraged to re-collapse into a partial concertina configuration so as to be able to be completely contained inside the barrel or container and immersed in the wine.

2. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each longitudinal timber member comprises of a multiplicity of timber slats spaced apart by being interleaved and hinged with slats of adjoining longitudinal members thereby providing a greater surface area exposed to the wine than if the longitudinal members were of a solid configuration.

3. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the timber members are of oak which has been treated by roasting in an oven or over an open flame.

4. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the timber slats of each longitudinal member have holes positioned substantially at either end for hinging together with the slates of adjoining longitudinal members in end to end fashion by means of hinge members.

A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the hinge members are stainless steel, plastic or other inert food grade material. -8-

6. A wine flavouring apparatus as claim in claim 4 wherein the hinge members are of the same timber as that used for the slats.

7. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein there are means to prevent a complete collapsing of the apparatus on insertion into the barrel or container.

8. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the means to prevent the complete collapse of the apparatus comprise transverse pin members insertable into holes located in corresponding positions substantially proximal to the hinge pin members of each longitudinal member.

9. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the transverse pins are removable to allow complete collapsing of the apparatus for compact packaging and storage purposes and are only applied to the longitudinal members prior to insertion in the barrel or container.

10. A wine flavouring apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the transverse pins are of the same inert food grade material as the hinge pin members.