Wood Aging: alternative species to oak?

[winemaker81]

This was really interesting. They didn't even mention the "cat piss" notes from their Red Oak:+)

Everything I've read about red oak said it was a bad choice. This is an area where I'm not willing to be a tester.

 

[Ty520]

This was really interesting. They didn't even mention the "cat piss" notes from their Red Oak:+)

I've been discovering that these bad notes tend to be a result of green wood and high resin content. Long aging can remedy it

 

[DaveMcC]

We had a couple of big chestnut trees come down over the last 2 or more years. I've got loads of cut wood blocks out in the yard and will try toasting some chips or sticks for use in some of the wines I currently have going. Will post my results somewhere down the line.

I also used half a spiral stick of "Spanish Cedar" (a type of mahogany), marketed to the beer brewing folk I think, in my Malbec from last year. Half a stick was a bit much for 6 gallons and wished I'd used half that much, but an interesting flavor. It is "cigar box" wood, so if you've ever put your nose to one of those, minus the tobacco aromas of course, then you have that spicy, sandalwood effect. I may use a half stick in 15 gallons of Tempranillo.

 

[Addsae36]

I recently bottled a apple wine that I added apple wood to. It had a sweeter smell to it than previous non wooded apple wines I made. And I’m not sure if it’s just this particular ferment but it seems that an apple juice flavor comes through more with this one with the apple wood chips.

 

[Ty520]

I recently bottled a apple wine that I added apple wood to. It had a sweeter smell to it than previous non wooded apple wines I made. And I’m not sure if it’s just this particular ferment but it seems that the an apple juice flavor comes out more with this one with the apple wood chips.

I've heard that to be the case with fruit tree wood, and this is good, albeit anecdotal, confirmation

 

[Raptor99]

I make cherry wine/mead, and I re-visited this thread looking for more info on using cherry wood.

As for Cherry, it says it amplifies cherry qualities of a wine - both in aroma and taste, but has higher rates of oxidation and a wide ranging effect on color - so could be good for a younger wine meant to be consumed relatively young.

Does anyone have more information/experience using cherry wood? It sounds like it might enhance the cherry flavor.

We have an ornamental cherry tree that needs pruning. I was wondering if I could prune off some branches and age them, then strip off the bark and cut them into pieces and toast them. Has anyone else tried something like this? What is the best way to do this?

 

[Raptor99]

I found this study: https://www.researchgate.net/public...AGING_ON_THE_QUALITY_OF_ENCRUZADO_WHITE_WINES
I find this helpful because it includes the sensory profile. Some other studies only list amounts of various chemicals contributed by the wood, which is not helpful to me.

Near the end of this paper is the conclusion that in in terms of the overall sensory score, Acacia wood comes out higher, while the difference between Cherry, American Oak, French Oak and the control wine do not show a statistically significant difference. So based on this one study, it does not seem that cherry wood provides a significant advantage over oak. But I would like to see additional studies and hear about any experiments that you have conducted.

 

[Ohio Bob]

We have an ornamental cherry tree that needs pruning. I was wondering if I could prune off some branches and age them, then strip off the bark and cut them into pieces and toast them. Has anyone else tried something like this? What is the best way to do this?

I cut down a cherry tree and saved the wood for my buddy’s smoker. I put a wire brush, meant for heavy duty rust removal, onto an angle grinder. Easily removed any bark.

To toast, try your grill, set on low.

 

[sour_grapes]

I put a wire brush, meant for heavy duty rust removal, onto an angle grinder. Easily removed any bark.

This is a great idea! Thanks. I have cherry wood I have saved for using for smoke in the grill, but find it tough to remove the bark. I usually just give up on it.