Oak and Back Sweetening

[Raptor99]

I back sweeten most of my fruit wines because it helps to bring out the fruit flavor. Now I am experimenting with oak chips. I remember reading a comment that oaking should not be combined with back sweetnening. What is your experience with this? Should I avoid doing both?

 

[salcoco]

that what bench trial are for. I would oak a wine first something like blackberry and then do a bench trial to sweeten

 

[Raptor99]

I could certainly do that. What I'm asking here is whether other people have tried that and what they thought of the results. Progress is faster if I can learn something from the experience of others.

 

[user 36973]

I wonder if the concern with oak and backsweetening has to do with MLB in oak barrels metabolizing added sorbate.

I've backsweetened blackberry port wine that had sat on oak chips with no trouble. However at 19% abv at lower pH with sulfites, the MLB would have an uphill battle.

I would hazard that the oak chips should be fine since they haven't had a chance to be infected with MLB like barrels. Just keep up on the sulfites. There is a nice winery in our area that sells a "sweet barrel red" so it is possible.

 

[Raptor99]

Thanks for your input. I remember reading somewhere that an oaked wine should not be sweetened, but it sounds like that is not always the case. I use oak chips and do not do MLB, so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[franc1969]

If lysozyme was used post-mlf, would sorbate be an issue?