Chips vs. Cubes

[MedPretzel]

What's the difference between oak chips and oak cubes?





Thanks!





Martina

 

[kaizen]

exactly what it sounds like. chips are like slivers and or chips
(like playground bark) and the cubes are cubes. There was
an article in Wine Maker mag. Feb-March 2004 called Barrels and
oake alternatives.

 

[MedPretzel]

well, I'm just wondering what the difference is in the wine, not what they look like. Does one or the other have more surface area? Does one prefer one over the other? Are there differences in using them/when you use them?





Those are the differences I was looking for. Sorry if I wasn't explicit enough.





I don't get WineMaker Mag.





Martina

 

[Joseph1]

Because of their smaller size, an ounce of chips will have more surface area than an ounce of cubes. The extraction of oak from the chips occurs in a few days. For cubes the extraction takes a few months. Generally the chips are used during primary fermentation to simulate fermentation inoak and cubes during bulk aging to simulate barrel aging.

 

[MedPretzel]

You da man, Joseph! That's exactly what I was looking for.





Now, what are the pros, cons of oak used in fermentation and ones used in bulk aging?

(one answer generates like 3000 more questions!)

 

[Joseph1]

I believe oak added during primary would more quickly integrate with the wine resulting in a smoother and less pronounced oak taste. This is why kit manufacturers add the oak chips at primary. Aging on the cubes will give a more pronounced oak taste and require bottle aging to integrate and smoothen. Aging on the cubes will also add to the body and mouth-feel of the wine. All of the pros and cons of doing it one way or the other will ultimately depend onwhattastes best to you.

 

[MedPretzel]

Again, thank you very much, Joseph! You have cleared up a lot of questions I had about oaking. I will do some of my own taste-testing, and see which I prefer. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[kaizen]

Do you want me to copy the article and email it to you?

 

[MedPretzel]

That's okay, but thank you. I think I've got all I need from this forum.





Very kind of you, though!

 

[kaizen]

No problem.

 

[MedPretzel]

New question, and I just thought I'd tack it on to my previous question about oaking.





I have a concord wine, which I am thinking about oaking (while it's bulk ageing) with oak chips. They are light-roasted oak chips from LD Carlson.


My questions are:


1) Do you think that oaking Concord wine is a good idea?


2.) I have the oak chips soaking (on the package it said to soak them for 12 hours before use) right now. Do I add the water that I have them soaking in to the wine as well, or just the chips? (I have 2 handfuls in about 2 cups of water)


3.) I understand that oaking when bulk ageing takes longer for the oak to impart their flavor on the wine (thanks Joeseph!). What time-frame are we talking about? A year? 6 months? 1 month?





Thanks everyone!





Martina

 

[Dean]

I asked this same question of the gurus at the RJS retail store near my house. They told me that 2-3 weeks with chips in the carboy during bulk aging should be enough due to the increased surface area of the chips. They told me to taste after 14 days, and if not oaky enough, leave for another week and taste again.


They warned me that you can always add oak, but never take oak out. If it tasted oaky enough after 2-3 weeks, they said re-rack and then age to let the oak integrate and mellow with the finished product.Edited by: Dean

 

[Curt]

Martina,


Add water and all when it's time. How big a batch of wine is it? Two handfulls of chips sounds like quite a lot but I'll bet we have different sized hands.

Concord oaks up just fine but with the chips I'd even check at 1 week. The more end grain that's exposed the faster the transfer rate.

 

[MedPretzel]

It's a 6-gallon batch. I don't have to add it all (and don't forget I have smaller hands than you!).

Thanks for the advice! It's seems so confusing, this oaking, but it probably is just me.

 

[jojo]

Do you reuse oak cubes?

 

[geocorn]

It depends on how long you use them. It takes about 6 months for the wine to extract all of the tannins. If you use them for 2 months in one kit, I do not see why you could not rinse them and put them in another batch.

 

[Hippie]

I agree. Much like using barrels, all the goody will eventually be leached out of them.


I like to use them to smoke meat after they have served their time in the wine.

 

[Waldo]

Heading for the Benton landfill in search of my Oak Cubes

 

[Hippie]

ROFLMAO !!!

 

[jcnoren]

My Chai Maison wine kit containswhatlooks like oak sawdust, I followed the kit instructions and added them to the primary. Going with the increased surface area increased "flavor"will adding oak, in the form of sawdust give the finished product a heavy oak taste?





JC