Oak confusion!

[LissyVapes]

Ok, so I ordered some Potassium Metabisulfite on ebay and the seller tossed in a sample of oak for me. He threw in 2 kinds; a light toasted and a dark toasted. I've never used oak, so I am excited to try. I guess my questions are: Which one should I use in my white wine, when do I add it, and how long do you recommend I leave it in there? Also, can it be reused? It's not chips by the way. Both samples are like sticks. Any insights would be appreciated!

 

[Yooper]

I am not a fan of oaked white wines for the most part. There are some types, perhaps Chardonnay, that can benefit from some oaking but most are light enough that they really can't stand up to the tannin in oak.

The lighter oak types have hints of vanilla and a bit of toast although American oak is much stronger than French oak. The medium and dark oak's have more of the bold tannin flavors most often associated with oaking.


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[LissyVapes]

I am not a fan of oaked white wines for the most part. There are some types, perhaps Chardonnay, that can benefit from some oaking but most are light enough that they really can't stand up to the tannin in oak.

The lighter oak types have hints of vanilla and a bit of toast although American oak is much stronger than French oak. The medium and dark oak's have more of the bold tannin flavors most often associated with oaking.


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These samples are french oak. I think I want to use the lighter one. When should I add it, and for how long?

 

[Yooper]

The only "right" answer is as long as it takes. Oak spirals will be slower to release their flavor than something like oak chips, but it still can happen really fast. Oak until it's just a little bit too much, as it will mellow with aging, and then take it off of the oak.

It could be as little as a couple of days on a white wine. It would be very easy to overoak a white wine.

 

[therainmaker]

Certainly add and taste regularly. If you want to mellow the harsher side of the oak, you can boil oak for a few minutes.

 

[AnOldUR]

Not a wine person, but I enjoy experimenting with different woods and beer. When trying something new, I'll use a small (1-3 gallon) portion of the batch in a secondary to test out the ratio of wood to beer and the time required. That way if I overdue it I have some of the base beer to dilute it with.