Aging Wine In Stainless Steel Barrels
Updated
April 21, 2026
One of the most common questions that new winemakers ask is why they should use stainless steel drums for the purpose of aging their wine. Traditionally, wine has always been aged in a wooden drum or barrel. In recent years, many wineries have shifted toward the use of stainless steel.
One reason is that stainless steel is more durable. The same batch of wine can be aged for ten or more years inside a stainless steel drum without leaks or other issues. Also, a stainless steel drum can be used many times over. A wooden barrel tends to develop leaks and cracks after two or three years and can usually only be used for one batch of wine.
Because wooden wine barrels must be replaced every two or three years, stainless steel options are also more environmentally friendly. With nobody having to cut trees to produce more stainless steel, the wooden barrels of the past now seem wasteful and obsolete for many wine makers. Those who are committed to protecting the environment will often choose to age their wine in stainless steel for these benefits alone.
More fiscally conscious wine-makers appreciate that they don’t have to replace the stainless steel wine barrels every few years. With wooden wine barrels costing anywhere from $150 to thousands of dollars each, the savings are astronomical when presented with an opportunity to reuse the same stainless steel drum many times over. These savings can, in turn, be passed on to customers who will bring back more repeat business. It’s just good business sense.
Stainless steel barrels are also much easier to clean. Since the wine does not soak into the sides of a stainless steel barrel, fewer chemicals and abrasive scrub pads have to be used to clean the wine from the container. This reduces the amount of time it takes for a barrel to be “flipped” and used to store wine again. The practice of quickly flipping barrels maximizes productivity, which means more customers can be serviced. When more customers are serviced, profits rise.
There is also no flavor transfer with the use of a stainless steel drum. Sometimes, when wood barrels are used, the flavor will seep into the wood, and no amount of cleaning will remove it. When a new batch of wine is placed in the barrel, the flavor from the last batch can resurface, changing the entire makeup of the new batch. Also, wood barrels can transmit their own flavor to the wine that they hold. This is often a disagreeable flavor for wine drinkers who prefer a sweet taste.
Using a stainless steel drum keeps your wine tasting fresh and crisp, and provides a more “fruit-forward” aroma and flavor to the wine as it ages. This is a very important aspect for many wine makers, as it gives them better control of the flavor outcome of their product. To conclude, if you’re thinking about kicking your wooden barrel habit or starting anew with stainless steel, there are a variety of reasons to make the move.