Oak chips quantity

[Rodnboro]

I’m back on the forum after a move to north Georgia. I purchased 2 juice buckets this past week and want to add oak chips during aging. I have a Merlot and an Amarone fermenting and need advice on quantity of chips. It will be American oak light toasted. I am reading anywhere from 1 ounce to 4 ounces. Advice would be appreciated.

 

[winemaker81]

I prefer to use oak cubes, as the size is more consistent than chips, so I can better decide the amount to use. Using medium toast cubes, I will use as much as 2 oz in 6 gallons of wine. However, since I prefer oak as a seasoning, not a flavoring, I typically use 1 to 1-1/2 oz, depending on how heavy the wine is. Heavier wines can accept more oak without being over powered.

Once I add oak, I leave it in the wine. My current take is that putting oak in for short periods and removing makes the wine sharper. Leaving it in the wine for 3 to 12 months seems to mellow out the flavor.

Depending on how small the chips are, chips have more surface area than cubes and will affect the wine more. For that reason, if using chips, I'd use 1/4 oz less than the above amounts. Go with 1-1/4 oz per batch and gently stir the wine monthly. Wine does not have convection currents so the wine next to the oak will be much more heavily flavored. Stirring will homogenize the wine.

Keep in mind that you can always add more oak, but once the flavor is in there, it's quite difficult to remove. So ... go light at first.

 

[Rodnboro]

I prefer to use oak cubes, as the size is more consistent than chips, so I can better decide the amount to use. Using medium toast cubes, I will use as much as 2 oz in 6 gallons of wine. However, since I prefer oak as a seasoning, not a flavoring, I typically use 1 to 1-1/2 oz, depending on how heavy the wine is. Heavier wines can accept more oak without being over powered.

Once I add oak, I leave it in the wine. My current take is that putting oak in for short periods and removing makes the wine sharper. Leaving it in the wine for 3 to 12 months seems to mellow out the flavor.

Depending on how small the chips are, chips have more surface area than cubes and will affect the wine more. For that reason, if using chips, I'd use 1/4 oz less than the above amounts. Go with 1-1/4 oz per batch and gently stir the wine monthly. Wine does not have convection currents so the wine next to the oak will be much more heavily flavored. Stirring will homogenize the wine.

Keep in mind that you can always add more oak, but once the flavor is in their, it's quite difficult to remove. So ... go light at first.

Thanks!!

 

[Hazelemere]

30 cubes per 5 Imperial gallons. I like medium toast American oak

 

[winemaker81]

30 cubes per 5 Imperial gallons. I like medium toast American oak

Any idea how much that is in grams or US oz?

I'm still working to think in metric, as it's unambiguous, but it's a work in progress. My 7th grade science teacher said the US was going metric ... we ain't made it yet! [Let's not discuss how long ago I was in 7th grade.]

 

[Ohio Bob]

My oak cubes come in 1 pound bags and they recommend 4 oz per 5g, so I split the bag into 4x4 oz bags.