I've just gotten some american oak medium toast oak chips to try out
on my pom/blueberry wine. I've never oaked before, so does anyone have
any step by steps I can follow? Should I boil them to sanitize, or
just dump those suckers in? I've already gone through primary
fermentation with the wine, and I'm now in the secondary. Any ideas?

mike

Well, the ones I always get from Wine making stores, they say to soak
for 12 hours in water. Which I do, then drain, and dump the suckers in.

DAve

MLynchLtd wrote:
I've just gotten some american oak medium toast oak chips to try out
on my pom/blueberry wine. I've never oaked before, so does anyone have
any step by steps I can follow? Should I boil them to sanitize, or
just dump those suckers in? I've already gone through primary
fermentation with the wine, and I'm now in the secondary. Any ideas?

mike

On Jun 28, 9:19 am, MLynchLtd wrote:
... Should I boil them to sanitize, or
just dump those suckers in? ...

This is largely a matter of personal preference. Some just add the oak
chips without any special preperation, others boil them, while still
others sanitize them with a sulfite solution.

The downside to boiling or soaking is that the chips don't add as much
flavor since some flavor is lost by taking these steps. The downside
to just throwing them in is a slight risk of contamination of your
must/wine.

I generally sanitize them with a sulfite solution, but again, this is
just my personal preference.

Greg

First I would ask why you are adding oak chips to a blueberry wine. My
goal, when making a fruit wine, is to preserve the natural fruit flavors of
the berries being used. Adding oak to blueberry wine will make the wine
taste less like blueberries.

But if you insist, just add the chips to your wine. There is no reason to
rinse or sanitize the chips as long as you manage your SO2 levels and have
your PH adjusted correctly.





"MLynchLtd" wrote in message
ps.com...
I've just gotten some american oak medium toast oak chips to try out
on my pom/blueberry wine. I've never oaked before, so does anyone have
any step by steps I can follow? Should I boil them to sanitize, or
just dump those suckers in? I've already gone through primary
fermentation with the wine, and I'm now in the secondary. Any ideas?

mike

On Jun 30, 12:07 am, "Vincent Vega" wrote:
First I would ask why you are adding oak chips to a blueberry wine. My
goal, when making a fruit wine, is to preserve the natural fruit flavors of
the berries being used. Adding oak to blueberry wine will make the wine
taste less like blueberries.

This wine dried out nicely, and when it matured it tasted more like a
noble grape wine than a fruit wine. The fruit notes are there, but the
overall impression is more of a cab sav, or spicy pinot noir. I made
up two 1 gal batches of it, trying out two different kinds of yeast,
and I think I'll further sub-divide them into 1/2 gal and add oak to
half. This is essentially an experimental batch, I want to try out all
variations so i can find my favorite before I make big batch. I think
a tea addition for tannins will be next, and maybe a combo of them
all. (it's going to be years before I make a big batch of this stuff!)

mike

On Jun 30, 9:19 am, MLynchLtd wrote:
On Jun 30, 12:07 am, "Vincent Vega" wrote:

First I would ask why you are adding oak chips to a blueberry wine. My
goal, when making a fruit wine, is to preserve the natural fruit flavors of
the berries being used. Adding oak to blueberry wine will make the wine
taste less like blueberries.

This wine dried out nicely, and when it matured it tasted more like a
noble grape wine than a fruit wine. The fruit notes are there, but the
overall impression is more of a cab sav, or spicy pinot noir. I made
up two 1 gal batches of it, trying out two different kinds of yeast,
and I think I'll further sub-divide them into 1/2 gal and add oak to
half. This is essentially an experimental batch, I want to try out all
variations so i can find my favorite before I make big batch. I think
a tea addition for tannins will be next, and maybe a combo of them
all. (it's going to be years before I make a big batch of this stuff!)

mike

Mike,

I rinse them first especially on a white; you are not doing that. I
would never boil unless you want to use the 'tea' created. That is
where most of the flavor would be. I would go easy on yours, maybe
add 1 ounce per 5 gallons wait a week, see if you need more. I
usually use around 1 ounce per gallon on a red, 1/4 of that on a
white. I do oak rose, fruit and sweet wines but a lesser rates than i
would for dry wines. I just like oak. You don't necessarily have to
follow any style guidelines, it's your wine.


Joe

wrote:
On Jun 28, 9:19 am, MLynchLtd wrote:
... Should I boil them to sanitize, or
just dump those suckers in? ...

This is largely a matter of personal preference. Some just add the oak
chips without any special preperation, others boil them, while still
others sanitize them with a sulfite solution.

You left out my personal favorite: steaming.

I put them in a big strainer, put a lid over that, and boil water
beneath them. It saturates in wet heat without having as much liquid to
carry off my oak.

hawk