Wine barrel

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wine barrel formed by a barrel body (1) with a filling mouth (11) and comprising a removable bung (2), characterised in that the bung (2) has a longitudinal through hole (21) connected to an auxiliary vacuum tank (4).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Wine barrel

[0003] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The invention, as the title of this descriptive document states, is a wine barrel, in this case incorporating a novel stopper with a simple filling system, which reduces the wine's contact with oxygen during preparation. This innovation, within current techniques, offers advantages not found in products known prior to the invention. The invention increases the shelf life of the final wine, enhances its fruit aromas, and reduces the amount of additives required, such as sulfites.

[0005] The present invention has its field of application within the field of oenology.

[0006] STATE OF THE ART

[0007] The technique involves the use of wooden wine barrels in which the wine ferments. In these barrels, the wine must be kept separate from the air, especially oxygen. However, the wine can evaporate or be absorbed by the barrel, causing the level inside to drop. This creates a hollow space that allows air to enter, increasing the surface area of ​​contact between the wine and oxygen.

[0008] The known solution is to manually top up the barrels regularly. This involves accessing the barrel, removing the bung, and manually refilling it with more wine. This is time-consuming, so it's done two or three times a month. Consequently, most of the time there's a gap and contact with the air.

[0009] There is no known way to reduce that contact that could be considered similar to the invention.

[0010] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention relates to a wine barrel that offers a significant innovation within its field of application, the characterizing details of which are conveniently set forth in the accompanying claims. The wine barrel consists of a barrel body with a filling opening that includes a removable stopper. The stopper has a longitudinal through-hole connected to an auxiliary vacuum liquid reservoir.

[0012] If a direct connection is desired, the preferred plug design consists of a tube with an outer diameter equal to the opening, coupled at one end to a base with a larger diameter than the opening. At the other end of the tube, on the inside, a tubular washer is fitted with a dispenser, such that the dispenser and the tubular washer clamp onto a plastic opening of the auxiliary tank. The contact surface is preferably conical to facilitate insertion of the dispenser into the tubular washer and sealing. Similarly, the contact surface between the inside of the tube and the outside of the tubular washer is also conical, acting as a stop to ensure a firm and airtight seal. The longitudinal bore is defined in the dispenser and terminates in a projection at its outlet opposite the base.The tubular washer and dispenser assembly may be retained inside the tube by a nut, by a bayonet system between the outside of the tubular washer and the inside of the tube, or by another system.

[0013] The outer part of the tube can actually be made using a removable trim piece with the mouth section.

[0014] The different parts, especially the base and the optional nut, may have sealing gaskets.

[0015] Other ways of carrying out the invention are shown below.

[0016] EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES

[0017] To complete the description being made and in order to help in the better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a section of drawings is presented where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following have been represented.

[0018] Figure 1 corresponds to a schematic section of an example implementation.

[0019] Figure 2 shows an exploded side view of an example of a plug.

[0020] Figure 3 shows a schematic section of a detail of the plug in Figure 2, attached to the auxiliary tank. Figure 4 shows a general view of the plug in Figure 2.

[0021] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The embodiment shown in Figure 1 is a barrel comprising a barrel body (1) that can be placed on a support (not visible) and includes a filling opening (11). This opening (11) is in a raised position when the barrel is in use and includes a removable plug (2).

[0023] The plug (2) has a longitudinal through-hole (21) which is connectable to an auxiliary vacuum reservoir (4). The auxiliary reservoir (4) has flexible walls, for example, made of plastic with an aluminum layer, so that its internal volume matches the amount of liquid inside. The auxiliary reservoir (4) is generally mounted on a prismatic support structure, but it can also be suspended. The auxiliary reservoir (4) can be connected to the plug (2) directly or via a pipe (3).

[0024] Figure 2 shows an example of the preferred plug (2), which allows the auxiliary reservoir (4) to be directly connected to the plug (2) and supported on the body (1). It consists of a circular base (22) with a central hole into which a tube (23) with a peripheral protrusion is attached, for example, by threading. This base (22) supports the auxiliary reservoir (4). The tube (23) may have an outer cross-section similar to that of the opening (11) so that it fits into it, but it may also have a soft trim (24), for example, made of silicone, which ensures that the cross-section is correct for fitting into the opening (11) and sealing it. As can be seen, the outer shape of the tube (23) with trim (24) is frustoconical so that it can be properly inserted into the opening (11) and support the auxiliary reservoir (4).

[0025] The connection to the auxiliary tank (4) is made by means of a tubular washer (25), in this case truncated conical, which fits around the plastic opening of the auxiliary tank (4), shown as a dashed line in Figure 3. The tubular washer (25) is positioned inside the tube (23), on the other side of the base (22). A dispenser (26), also truncated conical in the figures to facilitate insertion, and which has a longitudinal through-hole (21) ending in an outlet (27) inside the barrel body (1), is inserted into the tubular washer (25), so that the plastic opening is between the dispenser (26) on the inside and the tubular washer (25) on the outside. The pressure between these two elements ensures that the liquid only passes through the outlet (27) of the dispenser (26). This outlet (27) of the dispenser (26) has a tubular projection (28) that helps ensure that the lower point of the outlet is generally below the liquid level in the barrel.A nut (29) secures the dispenser (26) inside the tubular washer (25), and the washer inside the tube (23). The nut (29) can be fixed to the tube (23). The inner surface of the tube (23) can be frustoconical so that the tubular washer (25) fits and tightens, sealing the perimeter. If, in addition, a plastic section from the opening of the auxiliary tank (4) is passed through, as shown in Figure 3, the seal is improved.

[0026] Any connection between parts of the plug (2) preferably has a sealing gasket (5), so as to ensure that no liquid escapes.

[0027] In use, when the liquid inside the barrel goes down, more liquid is drawn through the longitudinal hole (21) from the auxiliary tank (4) by means of the principle of communicating vessels, since the plug (2) sufficiently seals the mouth (11).

Claims

CLAIMS 1 - A wine barrel, formed by a barrel body (1) with a filling opening (11) comprising a removable stopper (2), characterized in that the stopper (2) has a longitudinal through-hole (21) connected to an auxiliary vacuum tank (4). 2 - A wine barrel according to claim 1, characterized in that the stopper (2) is formed by a tube (23) with an outer cross-section equal to the opening (11), coupled at one end to a base (22) with a larger cross-section than the opening (11), and comprising at the other end a tubular washer (25) into which a dispenser (26) is inserted, such that the dispenser (26) and the tubular washer (25) clamp a plastic opening of the auxiliary tank (4), the dispenser (26) having the longitudinal hole (21) and this hole terminating in a projection (28) at its outlet (27) opposite the base (22). 3- Wine barrel, according to claim 2, characterized in that the tube (23) carries a trim (24) of the mouth section (11). 4- Wine barrel, according to claim 2, characterized in that the stopper (2) comprises sealing gaskets (5).

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