First Time Red Wine - Degass?

[Randoneur]

Are you going to oak - what oak are you going to use - chip or cubes or spirals - how much?

 

[Grancru]

I would like to oak but again this is my first time so I am open to suggestions as to what I should try.

I bought a Coopers Select 225 liter "Vintage" Bordeaux - medium toast barrel which I will use this fall

Great Oak Products:
http://www.xtraoak.com/US/XTRAOAK/index.html</span>

 

[Wade E]

You can absolutely oak it right now. Personally Id use either Staves, cubes, or Spirals. Id go with medium American or Hungarian with this

 

[Grancru]

How much French or American oak chips (medium toast) should go into a 5-6 gal carboy and for approx how long?
They come in 1 lb bags for $9.99.

 

[ibglowin]

I would go with Hungarian Oak Cubes 3OZ for 6 gallons for a couple of months at least. Taste along the way.

The chips will extract faster but you will have to use a boat load of them to get the same oak levels as the cubes. The med toast is the most common included in big red kits.

 

[Grancru]

I picked up some Hungarian (medium) from LD Carlson. Does anyone know if there are sterile or should they be soaked in a sanitizer before adding to the wine?

 

[Flem]

I've heard various answers to this question, but most will tell you to use them the way they came -- without sanitizing.

 

[Grancru]

Great because I had already put cubes in two of the four before I thought about it and now the balance are now being sanitized for a few minutes.

 

[ibglowin]

+1

Good to go!

 

[Grancru]

Ok, so I oaked about two weeks ago and now all 4 carboys have a white waxy looking substance floating in with the cubes. Are they all infected now from the cubes? What should I do here?

 

[Wade E]

When was the last time this wine was sulfited and or tested for S02? Can you post a pic?

 

[Grancru]

I sulfited on or about March 19th.
I have photos but don't know how to post them here.

 

[Grancru]

Never tested for S02. Don't have equipment to do so.

 

[Grancru]

Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1824022572529&amp;id=1599196105&amp;aid=97072&amp;l=30ec922288</font>

 

[Wade E]

That looks like a mold forming, You need to keep sulfite levels with wine to a norm so not testing and keeping them up will turn into this but also if anything like fruit or oak is just left above the wine it will also form mold. I would gently rack through the oak there and into a sanitized vessel and sulfite your wine good. I would buy a S02 test kit so you can achieve a decent S02 level on this wine. You will want to be on the upper scale to kill this infection!

 

[grapeman]

That is pretty nasty looking. It does look like mold to me. How much headspace do you have in there? If you have adequate S02, that should not be growing in there. Do like Wade said and rack it, add proper sulfite and hopefully it will be alright.

 

[Grancru]

It is mold. I am about to rack and it was suggested I put 1/2 teaspoon of Potassium Metabisulfite to each 5-6 gal carboy. Does this sound about right?
I will be heading to the brew store once they open to get a S02 tester. Should I wait or have at it and add the 1/2 teaspoon when racking?

Re-sanitize the oak and continue oaking?

 

[grapeman]

1/2 tsp is a bit steep but you have a severe problem there so it is not out of line. I would probably go with 3/8 tsp myself per 6 gallon.


I don't think I would chance it by using that oak again. It isn't that expensive. If you think it needs more I would get fresh.

 

[Wade E]

Totally agree with above post! Except for a barrel i would never reuse oak with the exception of using it to smoke some meat!!!!