Who soaks and who doesn't. I usually don't, however, I'm fixin' to add to a bulk aged Shiraz thats a little too berry and needs some help. Don't know what the benefit might be in soaking...
-- KB St. Charles, MO
I failed to ask a question in my initial post. Forgive me. Who soaks their oak chips in water before adding to wine? What is the benefit of soaking?
KB
I don't, and wouldn't - why just leach out the oak flavors that you want in your wine into the water? I would rinse the oak really well though, to keep from getting any powder/oak particles suspended into your probably already clear aged wine.
Ed
Some might soak in a sulphite + water solution, in order to sanitize them.. Although I'm not all that sure that this is something that really needs doing.
LG
Thanks for the replies guys. I was wondering because I bought a bulk bag of oak chips from Ld Carlson and the package says "Soak in water 12 hrs before adding to wine". So I was wondering what's up with that!?
KB
My guess is that soaking first allows the oak to drop immediately rather than floating on top until saturated. I don't have a problem letting the chips float a day or so before dropping. If you do soak I would suggest adding the chips along with the water to the wine so as to not lose any of the oak, of coarse this will also tend to dilute the wine slightly. Larry
Soaking in water would seem likely to dilute the wine. What about pouring boiling water over them (to sterilize them and wash off any powdered wood particles) then letting them cool off/dry out before using? What about soaking them first in brandy or perhaps in a container of similar wine? I'm curious, would this be worthwhile or should one just stir the chips into the batch as-is?
GYou guys are working _'way_ too hard on this.
Pick a nice, clean chunk of thoroughly air dried oak. Remove the bark, if it has any. (Best to have done this a year or more ago.) Spray rinse it to knock off whatever's on the surface. Rinse it under running _hot_ water for a minute or so. That'll rinse away most of the remainder- if there was anything there to start with. Another blast with a HP hose and you're good to go into the wine.
No chemicals. Use The Force. Hot H2O. Boiling isn't necessary either.
If you're _really_ paranoid, dust the surface of the wood (wet) with a propane torch. The steam/heat combo will kill *anything* (near the surface) that could infect your wine. Be sure to rinse afterward to get rid of the burning smell and the residual mercaptan from the torch.
Tom S
I generally steam oak when using in beer. I used to use a strainer over a cooking pan; today I use my wife's vegetable steamer. (Or does she steam vegetables with my oak steamer? I forget . . .)
Beer is less able to defend itself than wine at the stage I add it, however.
You do *not* want to boil the oak. This will give *very* harsh flavors (and not oaky ones, either).
hawk
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