i just oaked a mead for the first time. dry tupelo,steinberg yeast 10% alc. aged 3 months. i have read it is best to oak before bottling(which i plan to do this weekend) i put french(no american were available locally) oak chips in for 4 days and pulled them. i read its very easy to over oak with chips and in the compleat meadmaker,it says to oak 4 to 7 days with chips.i am not exactly sure i taste much of a differance.dont want to over do it. any input here would be much appreciated. when is best time to oak and as far as flavor goes what exactly am i looking for?