Interesting Oak Cube Phenomena

pete1325 · Jan 20, 2012

Hi all, I just checked on my carboys and noticed an interesting phenomena happening with the oak cubes I've added. It appears that the cubes, which are on top and partially submerged, are bubbleing, letting air out or doing something........... seems strange.

The oak has been in there for a few months. The wine smells normal. I've never really noticed this before with other batches. I'm assuming it's normal but thought I'd ask....is there reason to be concerned?

AlFulchino · Jan 20, 2012

it is normal.....someone else can chime in about the chemistry...to the practical side of things it is always wise to load your oak into a carboy before the wine goes in because if you load the wine and then the oak brings everything to a nice place near the top then you do occasionally run a risk of things bubbling over the top...albeit fairly gently, but a mess just the same if you are not looking. Then you have to wait for things to settle down

pete1325 · Jan 20, 2012

Thanks, actually the wine isn't bubbling out of the carboy and over flowing the oak cubes are letting out small bubbles like oxigen scaping from the wood.

AlFulchino · Jan 20, 2012

i understand, what i am saying is that if the wine goes in and then the cubes you arrive at a level you are happy with....if the bubbles start then you have a third item that requires 3 dimensional space and it even floats the cubes some....the cube does not reduce in size during this bubbling.....if you place the cubes in first and then the wine, by time you reach the top of the carboy the bubbles you are speaking of have had time to dissipate before the top is reached....

so i am saying it is just a good practice to cube first to avoid the overflow

if you keep a headspace of 4, 5 or six inches you wont see an issue, but you get under 3 inches w the cubes entered last then you have to monitor it

Wade E · Jan 20, 2012

What is most likely happening is the C02 in your wine has a nucleus now to attach to thus helping to let your wine degas. Tim Vandregrift (spelling?) had an article somewhat similiar to this in Winemaking magazine on how he discovered if he uses a carboy brush on his drill instead of a drill mounted stirrer it greatly helped in the degassing as there is much more surface for the C02 molecules to attach to and release.