# ADDING OAK CHIPS



## NorthernWinos (Oct 12, 2006)

I have only oaked a couple batches of wine last year....now, a year later they are tasting great..





On the package of Oak chips it says to soak in water for 12 hours before adding to the wine....
Have read that you should boil them for 10 minutes...
Seems that last time I soaked them in Sulfite and rinsed them....

What are you doing to them before adding to the wine????


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## masta (Oct 12, 2006)

A quick rinse with sanitizer should be all that is needed. Boiling them will extract the oak that you want in the wine.


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 12, 2006)

masta said:


> A quick rinse with sanitizer should be all that is needed. Boiling them will extract the oak that you want in the wine.



Thanks for the speedy reply....will do it like you said...seems that's what I did last time...tho I wonder about the extra Sulfite in the wine...?


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## grapeman (Oct 12, 2006)

All I do, even with the stuff I make is to rinse them with sanitizer. I figure they have been fairly well sterilized by the time they have been roasted. I put them in a ziplock bag after cool down and keep sealed until use. Then the quick rinse with sanitizer and pop into the wine. It's unbelievable the vanilla flavor in the Reisling. Everybody who tries it raves about it- and they have had plenty of other kinds to compare it to(mostly reds).


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 12, 2006)

appleman said:


> All I do, even with the stuff I make is to rinse them with sanitizer. I figure they have been fairly well sterilized by the time they have been roasted. I put them in a ziplock bag after cool down and keep sealed until use. Then the quick rinse with sanitizer and pop into the wine. It's unbelievable the vanilla flavor in the Reisling. Everybody who tries it raves about it- and they have had plenty of other kinds to compare it to(mostly reds).



Thanks for the input....

Do you toast them yourself??? How do you do that???? 

What I have on hand is American Oak Chips, think toasting would add lots more flavor....

Last time I added some to Blueberry/Red Grape and to Chokecherry/Red Grape....the wines are so good now, a year later...they were good last year, but have been hoarding the last few bottles.....much to be said for aging....

Saving the last bottles to share with people who live near wild blueberries and Chokecherries...might enhance their picking next summer....


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## grapeman (Oct 12, 2006)

If you bought the chips, they are probably toasted to a certain degree. If not you can do it carefully. I prefer cubes I make from White Oak. I've done it in the microwave(DO NOT DO -THE HOUSE WILL FILL WITH SMOKE IN30 SECONDS). I've done it on an electric stovetop burner- works pretty well, just turn them(use oak strips instead of cubes) as they start smokeing and repeat until it is a nice dark brown color. I've done chips in the oven on a cookie sheet- bake at 425 for about 60 minutes- test with a tooth pick- Oh no. That's a cake . Seriously about an hour will turn them nice and golden. Just watch for smoke and keep your nose handy. The best batch I did- I used the grill. Put the cubes on a cookie sheet(old) and grill on med-high - turning every 5 minutes. After a while they get a nice dark char to them. 


If you like uniformity- buy some from George. If you like to live on the edge- char some tonight, just not dinner. Have Fun!


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 27, 2006)

Mixed up a batch of ChokeCherry/Red Grape wine yesterday....want to oak this batch as well....Want to give the chips a bit more of a roast this time....

Appleman...you said a nice dark char....Huh?? Like black like charcoal, or dark brown????





The last 2 batches I toasted them in a fry-pan on de-range till they got a bit darker than they were...not smokin'...Should I go for a darker color???

Also, I read the package ...it said will do 25 gallons....so figure 1/5 of the bag per 5-6 gallon batch....think I haven't used enough per batch...

Guess we all got to do trial and error and see what we like for ourselves....


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## bmorosco (Nov 6, 2006)

what about the oak you get with a Kit?? The oak is in a prepackaged size??


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## masta (Nov 6, 2006)

Yes it is and you need to add all the packets since some kits include more than one.


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## maize (Nov 7, 2006)

I use oak cubes on most of my kits. I give a quick sanitation and then place them in some wine and warm it some. I do not boil them, but this does release some of the flavors into the wine and I pour the whole thing into the carboy.
I came across an interesting oak article in "Wine Business" and I thought I would attach it here. http://winebusiness.com/ReferenceLibrary/webarticle.cfm?dataId=29559


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## smurfe (Nov 7, 2006)

Dang, I just dump them in right from the bag after a quick rinse to get the dust off. I never thought to sanitize them. You don't sanitize the oak in a kit. 


Smurfe


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## maize (Nov 7, 2006)

I think most of us are extremely cautious when it comes to sanitizing. Here's a quote from the Stavin website that should ease your mind Smurfe. These refer to 8oz and I get mine from George in 3oz or 1lb bags. 



Cubes are sealed in 8 oz (227 g) poly-metal bags to retain aromatic compounds and protect the Cubes from contamination. Simply open the bag and add the pristine Cubes directly to the wine.*Edited by: maize *


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