Oak chips and wine

[Russ_G]

I've got a French Colombard and Red blend (Merlot/Syrah) fermenting and I want to introduce some oak to the fermenters. Is it better to introduce it during the primary or to the secondary where it can sit longer?

Salud!


By the way, here are the specs on my wine:
Grape juice from Lodi. No skins
Merlot / Syrah blend Specific Gravity 1.092 Brix 24% Potential alcohol 13%
Yeast: Lalvin ICV-D21: The ‘terroir’ yeast
French Colombard Specific Gravity 1.084 Brix 22% Potential Alcohol 12%
Yeast: Lalvin ICV-GRE: For easy-to-drink Rhône style wines

 

[Yooper]

Secondary, once the wine is clear. You don't want the yeast and lees to cover the chips.

Oak chips can give up their flavor quickly, so it may only need a week or two to give up as much oak as you want. After the wine is done, and clear, you can rack onto the chips and then taste weekly. It's it's just a little too much oak (it fades with some aging), then you can rack off of the oak and bulk age or bottle.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Actually, you should absolutely add the oak chops to the fermenter, when using chips in the primary during fermentation, the active yeast metabolizes and buffers the oak. much like a barrel ferment, not to mention that they can help to mask any off tastes and aromas such as vegetal characters in the wine.
You will be very happy!
I add untoasted or light toast and med toast oak chips during fermentation, you can always add more oak cubes or spirals during the aging process, I age mine in barrels.

 

[Mikeymu]

Actually, you should absolutely add the oak chops to the fermenter, when using chips in the primary during fermentation, the active yeast metabolizes and buffers the oak. much like a barrel ferment, not to mention that they can help to mask any off tastes and aromas such as vegetal characters in the wine.
You will be very happy!
I add untoasted or light toast and med toast oak chips during fermentation, you can always add more oak cubes or spirals during the aging process, I age mine in barrels.

I have to agree - in addition to this I would say that I don't sanitize the chips now before I put them in. I used to add to freshly boiled water but the flavours were not so good as added straight. Never had any infection due to not sanitising.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I agree, I never sanitize my oak chips, if you boil them, you are losing flavor.

 

[fuelish]

I rinse my chips well and then microwave the chips (no water) for a short time just to calm my mind about anything infectuous on the chips...works for me....I add 'em to secondary, typically

 

[Pyg]

I never sanitize chips or cubes.
I always throw some chipps in the primary ferment.
I then age with oak cubes.
different oaks can overlap and add a complexity to a wine