For astringency you probably want to add some extra acid to get it up to
your taste. You can do this at start of fermentation which most people will
tell you is best. But if you do you will be guessing as you are really
shooting for a taste and you cannot judge astringency when sugar is present.
So try it after the fact until you get what you want and then use what you
learned when making the next batch.

The oak is a good idea if you like oak which I take it you do to the
extreme. I have had some wines that taste like a freshly sawed piece of
timber.

Dryer? Ok there are a couple of things you could try. One is to shoot for
a lower alcohol level, maybe 11.5 to 12% so you are sure the yeast can eat
all the sugar. Another is to use a high alcohol tolerant yeast. If you
want to use a particular yeast that may not make it, then try pitching the
yeast you want and after a day or so pitch a high tolerant yeast on top of
it. That way when the primary yeast dies off there will be a fair colony of
the high tolerant yeast that will finish the sugar off. Be aware that the
final ferment may be slow as there will be less of the high tolerant yeast.

Ray


"Web Williams" > wrote in message
. com...
> This seems to be what I'm attempting to create. I
> want my wine to be very astringent- so dry that it
> draws the water out of your mouth when you sip it!
> I'm attempting to duplicate a fine French cabernet.
> I'm adding oak to beat-the-band in hopes that it will
> add enough tannic stuff to do that. 8 oz. of medium
> toast and 8 oz. of medium+ toast to a 6 gallon carboy.
> It's in secondary fermentation now. Should I also put
> it in a French oak barrel for continued aging to really
> get that "dry" flavor?
>
> On another subject, I had the privilege of tasting an
> Australian Cabernet that is exactly what I want! I just
> don't remember the name of it!!! It is so dry it actually
> pulls your lips together!
>
> Any suggestions to increase the appearance of dryness
> would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks, -Web Williams in Myrtle Beach, SC
> E-mail address supressed to prevent SPAM
>
> In article >, 1969
> @rogers.com says...
> > Help!
> >
> > I make a batch of wine from Mosti Mondiale (www.mostimondiale.com).
> > It is 23 litres of frozen grape juice with yeast already added. To
> > make a long story short, those take 8 weeks to make. Mine is now 12
> > weeks old and still aging in the carboy. I've tested a sample
> > (couldn't resist) to find out that is not quite as bold as I would
> > like it to be. The wine is very good, better than wine from
> > concentrate kits like I used to do, but I want a very bold wine, the
> > kind that makes your jaw lock when you first taste it. Is there some
> > natural additives that can be added to make it bolder? Even if it
> > means leaving it in the carboy longer.
> >
> > Any input appreciated,
> >
> > Marc....
> >
>