# Sanitize Oak??



## runningqrtr (Jan 9, 2007)

I need a quick answer to a probably stupid question. Tomorrow I am racking some Merlot to the secondary and I need to add oak. I have 3 oz of French oak cubes. Is the 3 oz the right amount for 6 gal? I have become psyco about sanitizing everything, but I think sanitizing oak might be ridiculous. In my opinion it would be like sanitizing dirt! I think it would also remove the oak flavor from the cubes. Am I correct that I should just add them the way they are? 


Thanks,
Paul


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## Waldo (Jan 10, 2007)

There is no such thing as a stupid question but stupid mistakes are a reality





Yes, you need to sanitize the oak cubes. No prolonged soaking is necessary but I would give them a little contact time. I usually just pour mine into a small jar or glass, pour the sanitizer over them and then holding my hand over the mouth of the jar I give it a few gentle shakes then strain the cubes out into a colander. 
The 3 ozs is plenty for a 6 gallon batch and I would plan on about 3 weeks after you add the oak to start tasting and then taste weekly thereafter until you reach the flavor you want. Good luck and keep us updated.


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## smurfe (Jan 10, 2007)

Actually if it is one of those 3 oz. pre-packaged packets of oak cubes you don't need to sanitize. They are fine to dump in. You might give them a rinse in some water or sanitizer solution to get any dusting off of them. This has been discussed here before. 
Think about it. You don't sanitize the packets of oak dust. I believe they are treated when packaged. Maybe they inject a gas into them like a bag of corks. You can do as you like but many just dump them in. Remember, this is in reference to the sealed, pre-packaged oak cubes/beans.


Smurfe


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## jsmahoney (Jan 10, 2007)

A stupid question is one that is not asked! If we don't ask, we don't know! Now we know because we asked!



*Edited by: jsmahoney *


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## runningqrtr (Jan 10, 2007)

Thanks for the help!


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## geocorn (Jan 10, 2007)

Unlike the oak powder that is included in the wine kits, the oak cubes are not necessarily sanitized prior to packaging. As a result, I would sanitize the cubes as Waldo recommended.


As a general rule of thumb, everything that touches your wine should be sanitized first. You have no guarantees that the oak, corks, etc. are bacteria free; therefore, err on the cautious side.


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## u01dtj6 (Jul 9, 2009)

Is there a need to sanitise oak chips?


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## JWMINNESOTA (Jul 9, 2009)

Any wood, by its porous nature, is almost impossible to sanitize. That is a key reason in the food industry (excluding wine) it is not used if alternatives exist (such as plastic shipping pallets). If it concerns you, heat treatment would probably be best, of course regardless of how you do it, you would want to do it just prior to adding, or else it would be in vain as wood will accumulate bacteria very quickly. Just as cork taint is a real possibility, the occurrences are few enough it probably isn't a major concern when using. Your ABV level is your best protection against the unwanted.


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## Goodfella (Jul 10, 2009)

runningqrtr said:


> I need a quick answer to a probably stupid question. Tomorrow I am racking some Merlot to the secondary and I need to add oak. I have 3 oz of French oak cubes. Is the 3 oz the right amount for 6 gal? I have become psyco about sanitizing everything, but I think sanitizing oak might be ridiculous. In my opinion it would be like sanitizing dirt! I think it would also remove the oak flavor from the cubes. Am I correct that I should just add them the way they are?
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Paul








I have been wondering the same thing.... I am glad you asked


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## hartm (Jul 11, 2009)

I live by the motto that there is no such thing as a stupid question. I have seen some oak chips that need to be soaked prior to being used. I would probably sanitize them as well.


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