Oaking?

[JPD]

Hello! I presently have 3 batches of wine going through primary fermentation. Once everything is cleared and finished, I'd like to experiment with oaking some of it. My 3 batches are Cayuga White, Seyval Blanc, and Concord. Any suggestions you may have from your own experiences of oaking (regarding which of these would benefit from oaking, or which types to avoid oaking) would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[cmason1957]

I don't think the cayuga or the Seyval Blanc would be good candidates for oaking. At least I am not a big fan of either oaked, much. If you do choose to oak either, the Seyval Blanc is sometimes found oaked, I have never had an oaked cayuga, I think you would lose the goodness of cayuga with oak. Concord can probably use a bit of oak. I haven't ever made any concord, so I don't have a good idea of how much or how long. I'd probably start with 2-5 oz for a 6 gallon carboy, American med toast for a few weeks. Then taste, let it go a bit more than you think it needs, it will drop off with time.

 

[gabe]

I would not oak the whites. For the Concord I would try a French medium oak and sample it every few days because it doesn’t take long to impart the flavors

 

[Newine]

I used a medium toast french oak in my Seyval Blanc last year, we enjoyed it quite a bit and received positive reviews from everyone who tried some. I would keep it light, just a decent hint of oak. Mine was less oaked than a commercial "Fume Blanc" but was very comparable. Was fermented dry, not sure it would work as well with much residual sugar.