Adding Oak?
 

I'm a newby at using kits (I've made some plum wine I wasn't particularly
proud of). Well, let me rephrase that- I'm a newby. My question- how
would you pretreat oak chips (if at all), what volume would you add, and at
what point would you add them? I'm using Sun-Cal Cabernet and my goal is a
dry red with oaky flavor. My guess would be to bake the chips at 300F for
20 minutes, use about a pint and add the to the secondary fermentation.

I'm also open to any general advice directed to dry reds from kits by total
idiots. I feel very comfortable in that group.
Thanks,

Gerald Todd

"Gerald Todd" > wrote in message
news:1106781744.d07ba123636d0718b0ddcb7ab8160282@t eranews...
> I'm a newby at using kits (I've made some plum wine I wasn't particularly
> proud of). Well, let me rephrase that- I'm a newby. My question- how
> would you pretreat oak chips (if at all), what volume would you add, and
> at what point would you add them? I'm using Sun-Cal Cabernet and my goal
> is a dry red with oaky flavor. My guess would be to bake the chips at
> 300F for 20 minutes, use about a pint and add the to the secondary
> fermentation.

You didn't specify the volume of wine, but I assume a kit of ~6 gallons.

Also assuming these are chips from a homebrew shop and not something you
made in the back yard, I'd recommend that you dump them right into the
primary fermenter, and transfer them to the secondary if they'll fit through
the neck. This is where StaVin oak "beans" are nice; they fit easily. A
pint sounds like a reasonable amount to add if you like your wine to have
noticeable oak.

Tom S

I agree with Tom. Spend a couple of dollars and get a package or two
from a homebrew shop, and just dump them in. The usual recommendation
is to check the wine every couple of weeks (or month), and remove the
oak chips/beans when the oak flavor is more than you want, since it
apparently diminishes a bit over time. I think a pint is probably a
bit more than most folks would use on a 6-gallon batch, but hey, if you
like oak, go for it!

Doug and Tom are right on, and I'd also agree that a pint of beans in 6
gallons will give you a lot of oak flavor, unless you take them out
really quickly. The oak flavors will dissapate over time, but I think
it's more of a become more subtle than a go away completely thing.
Taste often to see what you like, and remember that's it's a lot easier
to add more oak than take the flavor out once it's in there!

Rob