WineXpert HELP!!! WineXpert Argentine Malbec -- Forgot to add Oak Chips during primary Fermentation

[Mike Parisi]

Well, not really that I forgot to add the oak chips, which were supposed to be dumped in at the start of fermentation. I misread the label and thought they were Oak CUBES, which would be dded when fermentation is finished. So, to get some oakiness, I will have to add the chips after I rack and degas (fermentation is done.). Since they are chips and not cubes, how long should I leave them in the wine? I assume for a shorter amount of time than with oak cubes, but how much shorter?

 

[ibglowin]

You can add them now. Usually chips add a small amount of tannin and are fully extracted in a 7 to 10 days time.

 

[Mike Parisi]

OK, thanks. I must have misread it because I made a WineXpert Argentine Malbec kit a few years ago and it included oak cubes, not chips.

 

[winemaker81]

Fermentation and aging oak have different purposes -- among other things, fermentation oak helps stabilize color and provides sacrificial tannin. Aging oak provides aroma and flavor.

The mistake is not fatal, I would not worry about it.

However, if you add the chips as aging oak, leave them in for the duration of bulk aging. While oak adjuncts are expended within a few months (~3 months for cubes), there is anecdotal evidence that leaving the oak in for longer helps smooth the wine and reduce harshness from the oak.

I say "anecdotal" as I and other have noticed this effect, but have no evidence other than our own senses.

 

[SteveM]

Question on this topic... Does putting the chips in a cheesecloth bag reduce any of the benefit the wine may get or does it need the direct contact? I just hate the mess it leaves behind and have been it in small cheesecloth bags and then dunking it in during the primary fermentation. The clean up is so much easier.

 

[winemaker81]

Question on this topic... Does putting the chips in a cheesecloth bag reduce any of the benefit the wine may get or does it need the direct contact? I just hate the mess it leaves behind and have been it in small cheesecloth bags and then dunking it in during the primary fermentation. The clean up is so much easier.

As long as the wine can flow through the bag, there should be no difference.

 

[Jusatele]

Many ways to get the benefit of the chips in there
remember that stainless steel fermenters are the industry standard and aging in oak barrels is where wines that do get to touch wood get the contact. So not having the oak in the primary is not a OH MY God moment.
Keep careful records of everything, even what you might think is a mistake. Soon you will be doing different things at different times based on those notes. American Oak, French Oak, when introduced, how long in, chips or sticks, lots of differences.
The biggest segment of the wine industry is bulk wines, and those never are in contact with oak of any type.
I use chips, and normally add them into the secondary. So contact time is how long secondary last for that batch/style of wine.