Oaking all Grape Wine

[jsbeckton]

I have done a lot of kits and it seems there are usually 2-3 oz of oak cubes/chips per 6G which I usually find a bit light. So here with my first all grape batch i added about 4oz medium toast French oak to secondary and plan to let it sit for 3mo.

Now I am thinking that this is actually 30-50% higher than what kits usually have so am wondering if it was too much?

What do you guys typically start with for a bold red like a merlot?

 

[Chuck E]

I have done a lot of kits and it seems there are usually 2-3 oz of oak cubes/chips per 6G which I usually find a bit light. So here with my first all grape batch i added about 4oz medium toast French oak to secondary and plan to let it sit for 3mo.

Now I am thinking that this is actually 30-50% higher than what kits usually have so am wondering if it was too much?

What do you guys typically start with for a bold red like a merlot?

I usually put two oak spirals in my 5 gallon carboys.

 

[Chuck E]

Is there a way to delete posts?

I usually put two oak spirals in my 5 gallon carboys.

 

[Chuck E]

Delete

 

[salcoco]

the quantity of oak is not a cause of concern just the time element that it is left in the wine. just check periodically to insure you are not overoaking. I believe www.morewinemaking .com in there manual section had a guide for oak quantities.

 

[jsbeckton]

I always feel like it’s hard to get a true feel for how the oak is until after mixing/racking so was hoping to find a good amount to use for a standard 3 months each time. I guess I’ll have to keep mixing and tasting to see make sure it’s not overdone.

 

[cmason1957]

I always go a bit more than I think I should. I believe it tends to drop off some with time.