Adding Oak to a kit

[wineomaker]

I bought an PINOT NOIR KenRidge Classic kit and was wondering if it would be advisable to add oak to this kit, I don't know if I should or could, thanks for any info,

 

[roblloyd]

You can add oak if you think you'd prefer it better. If it didn't come with any I would probably do it as I think Pinot should have some oakiness (is that a word?) to it.
I'm sure others will have better ideas but I'd go with about 2oz of med toast french oak cubes. About 4-6 weeks should do it before they loose their usefulness. Of course you can go with 1oz and see what you think, then add more if needed. Much easier to add, very hard to remove if you overdo it.

 

[amytmock]

Yes! Oakiness is apparently a word!

InternationalRecipies.net: oaky; oakiness

"A wine tasting term describing a TOASTY, VANILLA flavor and fragrance in wines that have been aged in new OAK barrels. An oaky characteristic is wonderful in the proper balance. Exaggerated oakiness, however, can overwhelm a wine's other components and is considered undesirable."

 

[SarahRides]

I had a Pinot Noir kit once (not the one you have) that came with oak chips.....added them........my in laws actually said it should have had more! I would say go for it. I'm a big fan of oak flavors though......so definitely do it to taste.

 

[robie]

You can add oak during fermentation or afterward. If during fermentation, you will normally add less than you would afterward.

I would add it after fermentation, so you can taste the wine periodically and remove the oak when the oakiness is as you like it. As already stated, you don't want to over-oak the wine.