Re-Using Oak Cubes?

[JordanPond]

I was reading some of the Stavin information and they suggest that it is acceptable to re-use oak cubes. The recommend that you due this when you can move the cubes from directly from one carboy to the next.

1. Does any one do this?
2. Do you get much as much "oak" out of the subsequent uses?

 

[Runningwolf]

Greg, I have not tried it but it seems to me you would lose some oak flavor. On the other hand if you had a wine you didn't want as heavily oaked it might be a great way to go.

If I had a smoker, I would be saving all of my oak for that.

 

[JordanPond]

Thanks Dan for the quick response.

 

[UBB]

Where do you folks get your 'oak cubes'.

Is there a online vendor you can recommend?

 

[Julie]

finevinewines.com is one of the vendors that support our site, you can get them from him, his prices are very good

 

[Dugger]

Cubes as a rule give up their oak contribution in about 6 weeks, so if you have used them this long they are not much use anymore for another wine. If less than this they can be directly reused or kept in a freezer for another time.

 

[AlFulchino]

staves act more like a traditional barrel than a cube or chip, so on say a six gallon batch the oak may deliver all you wish on a short time, and you could use the stave for a second batch assuming you did not let it go neutral and like a barrel ( wood) your second oaking w the stave(s) would require a longer time on the wine than the first batch...you would have to monitor it and *be* a winemaker

 

[AKsarben]

One thing missing in the equation is micor oxygenation with the cubes or staves. The staves or cubes impart flavors and extracts from the oak into the wine, but the sinergistic effects of air in combination is what makes the difference between just adding oak cubes (we call them oak beans) short staves or chunks to a stainless steel tank or carboy. We have set up a unique mico oxygenator that infuses just the prescribed mg/l/month of pure oxygen to the wine when using oak beans. This better emulates oak aging in a barrel. But, as pointed above, after so many weeks in a wine the oak beans have pretty much given up all they are going to give. Also of consideration is any micor bug that may have attached itself to your bean my spread any undesirable effect on other wines using this same oak cube. They make wonderful additions to a BBQ grill or to smokers though.

 

[JordanPond]

Vern / Al,

Sounds like re-using oak beans and stavs is something that is done and may be reasonable. But doing so does bring in additonal risks that should be considered.

Vern your micro-oxidation system sounds really cool. Unfortunatly I don't see adding it to my 3 carboys.

 

[JohnT]

Not to be a jerk, but I have to ask..... WHY????

Think of it this way... You spend the time, trouble, and money to make a nice batch of wine, only to toss in used oak cubes that probably cost $4.

Since they are used, and most of the flavor has already been extracted, I fail to see why you would do this.

My advise is to toss the spent oak cubes and purchase new ones when needed.

 

[robie]

Not to be a jerk, but I have to ask..... WHY????

Think of it this way... You spend the time, trouble, and money to make a nice batch of wine, only to toss in used oak cubes that probably cost $4.

Since they are used, and most of the flavor has already been extracted, I fail to see why you would do this.

My advise is to toss the spent oak cubes and purchase new ones when needed.

Ditto, except possibly for a larger stave/spiral that was used for only a very (very!!!) short period of time. Even then I would use them only to "top-off" the present oak a little, if I reused them at all (which I likely wouldn't).

Cubes/beans/dust are just too cheap to bother with reuse. The beneficial elements are sucked out of them pretty quickly, anyway.