Sanitizing oak

[tmmii]

Was picking up a couple bags of oak chips yesterday and was told I should freeze them for 24 hours to kill off any bacteria. I've never worried about it and just put chips right in. Is there a need to kill off anything? And I don't think freezing would even do anything?

 

[timmer73]

I just soak mine in kmeta and warm water for a few minutes then add.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I have soaked mine in vodka - not for very long though

 

[Dominic1920]

Didn't know you had to sanitize oak. By the time you add them there should be enough alcohol in the wine to keep bacteria from growing shouldn't there?

 

[Runningwolf]

Directly from bag to wine.

 

[TomC]

Any preferences of oak chips vs. cubes or sticks. Advantages of one over the other?

 

[TomC]

I thought cubes might be best due to the larger surface area per volume. However, I bought some sticks to try this time; they're 3/4"x3/4"x8". Almost seems they were meant to be cubes but never got the final cut. No label on the bag so I don't know much about them other than they were sold as Hungarian medium toast. Another experiment in the works.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I believe chips work the fastest because they have the most surface contact compared to cubes or staves. But cubes or staves you can control a bit better - especially over time, so you are not over oaking.

 

[tmmii]

Didn't know you had to sanitize oak. By the time you add them there should be enough alcohol in the wine to keep bacteria from growing shouldn't there?

That's what I thought.

I feel I need a tinfoil hat in this lhbs. I mean freezing bacteria for 24 hours won't kill it, just slow it down for a day right?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I don't believe freezing bacteria will kill it -

I am sure there are much more knowledgeable people than I to answer this better.

 

[roger80465]

To me, you get a more rounded and interesting flavor from cubes than from chips. Chips give a one dimensional taste where cubes, staves and spirals will give far more flavors and, typically, a more balanced flavor. I am also enjoying a blend of oak cubes. Midwest Supply sells several blends that are supposed to replicate various wine regions (Bordeaux, West Coast, Tuscany, etc.) They seem to give a very interesting profile. You could certainly duplicate them on your own with a little trial and error.

 

[Deezil]

I believe chips work the fastest because they have the most surface contact compared to cubes or staves. But cubes or staves you can control a bit better - especially over time, so you are not over oaking.

This is on the right track. Chips have the most surface area and give up what they have the fastest, but the also have the least amount of dimension. Oak powder is faster than chips with the same lack of dimension.

Cubes or spheres would be next, a little slower extraction and a little more dimension flavor and tannin wise.

Staves come next, with a decent extraction time and some honest dimension given to the wine, you can get a real Oaking with staves but no micro-oxidation.

Micro-oxidation and oak character together, can only be found in a barrel.

There's an Oak Thread in the Barrels and Oaking section of the forum, that expands on this more

 

[Bergmann]

Correct freezing bacteria does not kill it. It simply suspends it. the bacteria begins to multiply as the temperature rises again.

 

[heatherd]

I use a combination of powder, chips, and staves at different times. I do sanitize the chips and saves with a mist of kmeta. Also the mesh bags.
Heather