I used Sta-Vin oak beans on a recent batch of red wine. I added them when I transferred from the primary to the secondary, and they were in the carboy for about 2 months. Today I racked the wine, and saved the oak beans (rinsed them and sanitized them). Can they be re-used? Is there enough oak essence to flavor more wine? Is there any danger that by adding these used oak beans, I will adversely affect the next batch?
TIA for any help.
Gary
I would think they are pretty well spent by now. The risk to your new wine is probably higher than what little oak you can still extract. But they may be of some value if you make balsamic style vinegar.
Probably not, but there might be enough to flavor the smoke in your BBQ!
Tom S
Yes, you can re-use them. They will not add too much oakness but it should add just enough to add complexity. It could help to top up a wine without adding too much oakness.
Séb
I would not reuse them. If you read Stavin's write-up, they are designed to be the right size to soak all of their oak out in a single use. Also, after soaking for 2 months, wine will have soaked to the very center of the cube (as designed). Sanitizing is not enough. You must protect them when storing as you would a used barrel so they do not become infected after sanitizing. They are not that expensive, Use new.
Now if you are going to use them immediately with no storage, that is a different story. It may not help, but it would not hurt to add them to a similar wine.
Ray
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