RJ Spagnols Chardonnay Oak Question

I purchased a kit which came complete with two cases of bottles and corks. I'm planning to start this either tonight or tomorrow night. I have everything prepared but I keep wondering about the oak in this kit.

It came with an oak infusion bag similar to a teabag. My wife nor I like really oaky Chardonnay. The instructions say to steep it in hot water for 10min and then pour it all into the fermenter and do not open the bag.

Has anyone ever made a kit like this and deleted some of the oak? I'm thinking I would like to eliminate 1/4-1/2 the oak. BTW, I have several nice stainless steel tea infusion balls that I use for dry hopping beer. I'm thinking of using one of those if I open the infusion bag and reduce the oak.

You could make it without any oak, taste it, and add some during aging.

Oak in wine, particularly in whites, is largely a matter of taste. If you don't like oak, don't add it or, as Heather suggests, add a little later during secondary fermentation or bulk aging.

Thanks to you both! I think I may go with a tiny amount. I have been a beer brewer since around 1994/95, but this is the first wine I have ever made. I'm sure I'll go all in and buy a ton of new stuff.

limulus, the beauty of being a beer brewer means that you have most of the equipment. I got a good pH meter and a few plastic fermenting buckets and I was good to go!

Of course I have added a few things, like 10 or so carboys, a nice corker, a few hundred bottles, etc etc etc.

Been brewing all-grain beer since 1990, wine is way much easier, too easy at times. I've only brewed two batches since March and they were this month.

ceeaton said:

limulus, the beauty of being a beer brewer means that you have most of the equipment. I got a good pH meter and a few plastic fermenting buckets and I was good to go!

Of course I have added a few things, like 10 or so carboys, a nice corker, a few hundred bottles, etc etc etc.

Been brewing all-grain beer since 1990, wine is way much easier, too easy at times. I've only brewed two batches since March and they were this month.

Click to expand...

I bought myself a new brewery last December and I sold off a lot of the old stuff, but I did keep three fermenters and a brand new still-in-the-box 3-gal carboy. Now I need to either buy another 3-gal or a 6-gal before it's time to rack. I also have 12 6L bottles left over from my old Tap-A-Draft system. Two of those is 3-gal. I wonder if I could use those for wine...???

The first ever batch is done and in primary inside my old temp controlled beer fermentation cabinet- photo #1
My new beer brewery - Brewha BIAC system with glycol lines attached- photo #2
Two SS Brewtech connical fermenters. I think I can use these as primaries for wine - photo #3
Tap-A-Draft container - photo #4

I think I'm going to make a red from a kit and then buy or build a press and take the big jump...unless my kits are a disaster

Very nice and high tech! Would love such equipment, but at this point only in my dreams. I think you can use the stainless for wine. I've noticed that if I ferment a batch of beer in one of my wine 7.9 gal plastic buckets that the beer will pick up some fruitiness from the plastic. I can't imagine that a properly cleaned stainless fermenter would retain any flavor from whatever was feremnted in it.

There is a trend towards 'naked' or unoaked Chardonnays. The glory of it being your wine is your taste. When I'm on the fence about something I often will divide....3 gallons lightly oaked and3 gallons not oaked then you can always blend these to see what different levels of oak will do!

Hello All, I thought I would provide a little update to this thread and my first "vintage". Yesterday marked the 15th day since I went into primary. I made all the degassing steps and added everything that came with the kit. I went light on the oak. At first, it was pretty cloudy looking in the secondary, but this morning, it was all clear with sediment on the bottom. The next racking comes in 14 days and then bottling. If I'm not satisfied with the clarity at that point, can I rack and let it sit another week or two before bottling?

I don't see any problem extending the time between steps. Will make for less sediment in the bottle. The only concern would be if you age it longer (more than a month up to a few years) that you follow the directions and have the carboy topped up within a few inches of the airlock or bung, and have it properly sulfited.

Thanks and yes, everything is topped up close to the airlocks.