How much oak to add

Jim, It depends on how you measure and what you use. If you measure by weight what you use is a little more predictable as a heads up. Personally, I would use 2 ounces on a white but 6 on a red but I love oak, I use chips or beans and measure by weight. As a point of reference 1 cup dry measure weighs around 5 to 6 ounces by weight. Prefermentation additions are a little more forgiving of over oaking and do seem to integrate well too. If you have never added oak preferment you may want to ere on the low side because you can always add more later.

Joe

Jim,

I wouldn't add any preferment. I've done both before and after and I don't see any difference. The pros don't ferment in oak so why should you?? Wine is added to barrels after primary ferment is done in wineries.

Bob

Some pros do preferment oak chip additions for lower priced wines.

Gene

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

That sounds pretty accurate to me.

actually the pros do add oak during fermentation, along with tannins, and enzymes. we also do cold soak, slow fementation, and extended maceration. just not in kits, 5 gallons at a time. and, often, wines are fermented in barrels.

Not sure, really. I would guess the oak tannin will take some time before it's extracted by the alcohol, while the tannin supplements are usually added early so they are present in first days of the ferment when most of the colour is extracted. So there might be some advantage in adding tannin directly - I do both but use the minimum recommended does of the tannin supplement. For oak, I use chips during ferment and beans after as I don't have space for barrels.

You can always try different things and see what works best for you.

Pp

The only way to do that is to ferment 2 different batches, one with oak and one without oak added pre-ferment to see how it really works and if you really think it works better for you. Not doing a side by side comparison with the same grapes will tell you nothing. If you want total control over the taste of your wine I would suggest not adding oak pre-ferment. Adding oak pre-ferment is adding more variables into the equation when you should be trying to simplify it to control it better. Anyway that's my story and I'm stickin to it. I've never had a problem getting color out of my wines or having it "stick".

Always remeber that amateurs built the Arc and professionals built the Titanic.

Nicely said.

Oak and tannin additions are not the same thing. Oak adds more than just tannin to a wine; oak additions and barrels aren't the same thing either, barrels do more than add oak flavor.

Joe