I'm considering barrel fermentation for a fall batch of Chardonnay. I was
thinking of purchasing a pair of 30 gallon barrels. I'm a little leery
however because I once tried a small (13gl.) barrel storage and the barrel
became infected with TLC (some really gross black stuff) which ruined my
wine.

My questions a

Do any wine making hobbyist use non-whiskey barrels for fermentation and
storage?

What do you have to be careful of? What are your sanitation practices? (I
used Barrelclean last time - nasty stuff.)

Do you have a North-east coast source of new oak barrels that won't bankrupt
me?


Thanks.