What is a “Barrel Thief”?

Barrel thief

barrelthief_11. A barrel thief is a glass or food-grade plastic pipette used in the process of wine making. It may be anywhere from 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 centimetres) in length and may have a bend near one end. The barrel thief is used to remove a small amount of wine from a cask, carboy, or other fermentation device for testing.
Home winemakers may also use a barrel thief in connection with a length of tubing to syphon wine from one container to the other (a process called racking) or to transfer the wine to bottles

 

 

barrelthief_32. A person, esp. a Napa resident, who attempts to steal large quantities of wine to sell to a broad group of consumers on the internet.