Add Oak to Bottle?

[GrapeApe]

Here's my latest edition of newbie questions... Assuming the cubes would fit in theneck of the bottle, can oak cubesbe added to the bottle for added flavor / character during the aging process?


Thanks.


GrapeApe.

 

[Wade E]

In a carboy or wine bottle? I dont think youd want to bottle the oak as
you would not be able to taste to see when to get it out without over
doing it, not to mention getting the oak out when done out of all those
bottles.I guess it could be done but why not just do it in the carboy
and be able to monitor it.

 

[GrapeApe]

Makes sense. I guess I was just thinking the big boys age wine in oak barrels for at least a year and some for even longer. I was looking for a way to replicate that without investing in barrels.


Thanks.


GrapeApe.

 

[Wade E]

Those barrels have been used quite a few times and do not deliver as
much oak as when they are brand new. You would not want to age a wine
in a new barrel for a whole year, probably a month and it will be very
well oaked. As each batch runs through the barrel it has less oak to
deliver and this is what you want so you can age it in there for awhile
and get the micro oxygenation process which is very important to
getting a truly good body in a wine. This is something that cannot be
delivered in a carboy.

 

[Wade E]

Why not bulk age in the carboy with cubes or spirals. This is as close
as wqe can get to the barrel without the barrel. Just check it every 2
weeks so as not to over oak it.

 

[kathy]

Just talked to a large commercial winery-the way they oak is to take a small amount of wine and oak it separatedly. This will be highly concentated. Then they add it back to the large container of wine until the taste is what they want. We tasted their chardonnay and it was the best I have every tasted. Just a hint of oak, not over bearing.
They also had a Strawberry wine that was just perfect. Quizzed them and they told me it was Chardonnay with Strawberry surrup flavoring. Will be trying that method instead of the strawberries from scratch. It is amazing the information from the wineries that is not public knowledge. Some are very easy to talk to and others are not.kathy

 

[JimCook]

Makes sense. I guess I was just thinking the big boys age wine in oak barrels for at least a year and some for even longer.

When I was doing some early homework on barrels before getting introduced to George's World of Wine Wonder, I asked questions about the different sizing of barrels and oaking, new vs. used, etc. Here's the skinny on some info I found that may help answer your question on how the 'big boys' are able to pull off oaking in new barrels for long times.


The barrel doesn't just add oak flavors - because of the porous nature of the wood, it also allows for an oxygen water exchange. With a simplified explanation, this allows for a concentration of flavors of the wine as water is able to evaporate out of the barrel. In addition to this, time has shown winemakers that the ratio of surface area of the barrel compared to volume of liquid is a determining factor to balance the rate of oaking compared to the rate of concentration of flavor and mouthfeel advantages ofa barrel. Long story short - a 5 gallon barrel has a lot more surface area compared to volume of liquid, so it oaks faster than it concentrates. A 60 gallon barrel (industry standard) seems to be the favored 'ideal' that winemakers use to balance the oaking and the mouthfeel/concentration aspects of barrel storage, allowing the wine to be stored for long periods of time without overoaking.


Hope that helps,


Jim

 

[Wade E]

Very good explanation Jim!