Help! adding oak to wine

[MountainRunner]

Hi
So I'm making some blackberry wine, its been fermenting for the last 2 months using a port wine yeast.
Today I've just done the second racking and stopped the fermentation with metabisulphite and did some de-gassing. It still tastes a bit bitter and raw.

I'd like to add some oak chips at some point how should I do this and for how long?
Could I use a plastic food bag with tiny holes in, full it with oak chips and suspend it inside the carboy so the flavours come out of the bag?

How long should I keep the oak in the wine as I don't want to over oak it?

 

[Floandgary]

Fermenting for 2 Months???. 2nd racking??? Stabilize, wait a couple of days, add oak, oh wait ,,,, don't know how much??? How much wine we talkin'? Nix the plastic bag. Just put the chips in there and wait a month then rack over to carboy with airlock. Chips will remain in your other carboy to be rinsed out. G'luck!

 

[dcbrown73]

Nods to Floandgary, 2 months fermenting!?!??!

Anyhow, I'm a noob to winemaking, but I would recommend oaking slowly with frequent taste tasting. You can always add more oak or let it sit on the oak longer. I know of no way to removing oak an over-oaked wine.

The good news is there are plenty of people here with experience who can recommend a good amount of oak (or no oak) for your blackberry wine.

 

[MountainRunner]

Fermenting for 2 Months???. 2nd racking??? Stabilize, wait a couple of days, add oak, oh wait ,,,, don't know how much??? How much wine we talkin'? Nix the plastic bag. Just put the chips in there and wait a month then rack over to carboy with airlock. Chips will remain in your other carboy to be rinsed out. G'luck!

1 and a half gallons. One carboy is full the other half full

also was 7 days in primary fermentation bucket and the last 7 weeks in carboy.

 

[Stressbaby]

Be careful with oak chips. I over-oaked once using chips. Cubes are more controllable.

 

[mennyg19]

1 and a half gallons. One carboy is full the other half full

also was 7 days in primary fermentation bucket and the last 7 weeks in carboy.

I would suggest getting a half gallon jug. Sounds like theres some unwanted headspace in ur second carboy...

 

[Rodnboro]

Check on oak sticks and spirals too. You can suspend them in your wine with fishing line.