Yet another oak question!

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- StarrFarms1
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Aug 9, 2003 6:44 AM

This is wine related, so bear with me. Not so long ago, I decided to make a Chardonnay like mead. A light, fruity, oaky mead. I used 1 prepackaged "teabag" of medium toast French oak chips for the flavor. I took my local homebrew store guy's advise and tasted within 1 week to access the level of oakiness. When I tasted it, YIKES! Tasted like a campfire! I was expecting oak flavor of wood, not wood on fire. By that I mean smokey. So now it's bulk aging, and I'm hoping the smoke flavor will somehow dissapear and just leave the oak. Now to the wine part! I'm going to be making some Pinot soon, and of course would love that "barrel aged flavor" in it, but I am scared of it tasting like a camp out, or that last attempt at oaking. Did I do something wrong? I added the chips during the secondary fermentation, exactly 2 months after pitching the yeast. They sat in the mead 6 days. Does the level of "toast" determine how smokey the flavor will be? If I use a light toast, will I get the oaky flavor minus the smoke? Is there something I'm missing here to get a oak flavor in wines/mead? Or is it just not possible to get the same flavor if it is not aged in a barrel? Thanks for any help. Thad

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- seb
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Aug 9, 2003 4:00 PM

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- Tom S
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Aug 9, 2003 4:01 PM

That's basically true - but not because the wood is different. A barrel allows very slow, controlled oxidation of the wine. This does not occur inside a carboy with chips.

You might consider using a different source for your oak. Lots of home winemakers (and pros as well) use the so called "beans" made by StaVin. They have flavors that are as close to a barrel as you're likely to find, and come in toast levels from light to heavy and several different oak forests.

BTW, the best time to put them into the wine is during the primary fermentation. Leave them in for the secondary and bulk aging too, to taste. As for how much to use, that's a matter of personal taste. I'm sure some of the others here can offer opinions on that topic.

Tom S

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- Aaron Puhala
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Aug 9, 2003 4:41 PM

< First of all I would like to say that you will not achieve the same result with oak chip than the flavor you will get with a barrel. >

I agree with your statement from a home winemakers perspective. However, advances in oak barrel alternatives, delestage fermentation, and micro-oxygenation systems are fast approaching barrel aged quality. I personally believe that there will be a shift toward non-barrel oak addition in the future on many standard and some premium wines. I think it will be not unlike the shift to non-cork closures with resistance at first followed by acceptance by a few premium leaders. IMHO, barrels are a great tool for adding oak complexity and allowing slow oxygenation to fix anthocyanins and soften tannins. The main problems with barrels, however, are cost, consistency and maintenance. Did I mention the cost?? Non-barrel oak alternatives can also be more environmentally friendly products. All that said, however, a room filled with finely crafted barrels has an ambiance that stainless steel tanks don't quite achieve!

CHEERS!

Aaron