Hi Web Williams...

I am no wine expert, but I have always found that oaking does not add
very much tannings. If fact, I use two different types of oak at two
different times. To give a really great vanilla flavor, I use toasted
French Oak chips. Be careful, you can 'over oak' but it does tone down
some after a couple of months of bottle aging. I also use American oak
chips to soften the flavor a bit.

As for adding tannins, I am not versed in this on a first hand basis. I
would recommend that you read as much as you can about this process
before you try to make any additions.

Cheers,

Paddy-O

Web Williams wrote:
> I'm on the second racking of a "Selection International"
> French Cabernet kit, and am wondering if I'm doing
> anything wrong, or if I should just be patient. I was
> shooting for a really astringent mouthfeel, so I added
> 8 ounces of oak (4 oz. French medium toast and 4 oz. of
> French medium+ toast) at the first racking to try to get
> the tannin levels up. My local home winemaking shop hinted
> that I was on the right track to increase astringency, but
> recommended an oak barrel for a truly astringent flavor.
>
> I have 8 more ounces of oak cubes that I have not used yet
> that I -could- add if it would help matters, but I'm thinking
> about buying some wine tannin and adding just a tad to see
> what happens.
>
> The kit just doesn't taste "dry" to my palate. I would like
> the wine almost dry enough to make your mouth pucker at each
> sip! I toured Bordeaux and tried many French Cabs and none
> of them taste as sweet as this batch of wine. Will ageing
> over oak cubes provide the astringency I'm looking for, or
> should I go ahead and add some wine tannin?
>
> Am I confusing dryness with astringency? The SG is right on
> target, so I'm assuming the kit went off without a hitch
> other than it's not as dry-tasting as I want. What say the
> experts?
>
> Thanks, -Web Williams in Myrtle Beach, SC
>