Oak chip impart all of their oak within 2 or so days, so it is smart to start with an ounce or two to begin with, taste the wine after 2-3 days and decide if you need more, oak chips are best used in the fermenter, the active yeast metabolizes and buffers the oak. much like a barrel ferment. For aging, I use oak cubes\beans or oak infusion spirals as well, they release the oak much slower, the spirals take about 6 weeks to release it all and the cubes can take 5-6 months giving you more control over the level of oak that you desire.
Not to hijack thread....
I want to add some oak chips to my wine. Do I HAVE to buy the ones from my local wine supply or can I use the same american white oak chips I use in my smoker? Oak is oak right?
I just moved my wine to secondary fermentation is it ok to add the oak chips for 5days and rack it again? Wont it interupt the fermentation process?
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Yes. You can add them now. Fermentaion will be fine.
By secanday fermentaion I assume you mean right after you racked it off of the fruit or yeast for the first time. Tecknicaly it is still on its first fermentaion. Its just done with the bulk of it and is finnishing up. That may be the confution people are having. You are not doing a secondary fermentaion, like a MFL. Just a plain old wine.
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Yes by secondary i meant that. So when is it better to add the oak chips (it started fermenting 5 days ago; its now in demijohn) should i wait fir fermentation to slow down or is it better to add them now?
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