Adding Oak

You may inadvertently start a religious debate with those questions and assumptions.

First, many don't boil corks, myself included. I almost always soak them in a sulfite solution just prior to using, but that's a personal preference of mine. Many wine makers don't take any extra steps at all and simply insert them dry.

Regarding the oak cubes... I used to soak mine in a sulfite solution but recently I stopped doing that. I do make sure, however, to add sulfites when I add the oak cubes. Some home wine makers do boil their oak cubes and chips, but this is all just a matter of habit and preference. If you've maintained adequate sulfite levels, no extra steps should be necessary. Keep in mind that if you do decide to boil them it will greatly reduce the oak flavor imparted on the wine; some flavor will be lost to the water.

Greg

Good feedback from Greg. I have not encountered any science on this subject. For my own part, I neither boil nor sulfite oak before adding. I use oak stave inserts into 15 gallon stainless kegs. I rinse them well before putting into the wine, really only to remove dust and oak debris. But I make sure that the wine is properly sulfited just before oak addition.

Just finished racking about 86 gallons of wine this weekend, with 75 of it now in SS kegs with oak inserts (5 staves in each, hung in a chain). I love the smell of the oak (French, medium toast) after it is rinsed, and as I'm about to put it into the wine. Always reminds me of a young Bordeaux.

I seem to have a knack for finding verbal landmines and stepping right on them.

Thanks for the response.

I never Boil or Sulfite the oak. By boiling you will take all the flavor out. Corks, I will dip them in some Pot/Met when corking. Reason is you don't know who or how it was handled prior to you getting them. For this reason I buy 1.000 cork bags.

Tom

This is an interesting discussion, maybe worthy of a top post. I do not buy corks in 1,000 bags - for fear of a TCA contamination ruining an entire years bottling. Rather, I buy in 100 piece bags (Altec corks), and try to get each of those from separate lots (1,000 piece bags) from my retailer.

Anyone else have an opinion on cork purchase quantity - relative to TCA risk?

? Where do you think the 100 corks come from? Cork companies package them in

Tom

As I tried to say, obviously not clearly enough, in my previous post ("Rather, I buy in 100 piece bags (Altec corks), and try to get each of those from separate lots (1,000 piece bags) from my retailer") I buy

Axis - Where do you get the stainless steel kegs? I can't seem to find them around me in western PA.

I add oak cubes and don't do anything before I add them. So far I have had no adverse effects. Orlando

Boy is that a good question. I currently have 6 - two were purchased from MoreWine as new kegs - at a very high price (morewinemaking.com). The shipping cost would kill you tho (I can drive to their warehouse) - so you should find a retailer near you. My other 4 I got from another winemaker who was retiring from homewinemaking to become a commercial winemaker. Those were at a great price - free!

I need one or two more, so lately I've been 'putting the word out' with winemaking friends, and also with some people who work in bars and beer places. Hoping they can find some cheap for me.

Anyone ever use SS barrels?