What oak for what wine

[GEM]

OK, I know that you can get American, French, and Hungarian oak barrels, cubes, spires, etc. here is my question: What grapes are best for which oak? I presently have cab, Zin, Sangiovese, Cab Franc, and sharaz grapes. I am looking at getting a couple of 30 gal barrels and also doing some aging in carboys. Thanks for your insights. Gary


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[sour_grapes]

I don't like it when a forum becomes ossified, such that questioners are directed to old threads or told to search the archives. However, I cannot possibly approach the level of knowledge on this subject that you will find in this sticky: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f74/oak-thread-12989/

and this article by JohnT:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/take-on-oak.html

There is not a lot of info directly addressing your question, but it is a nice start.

 

[GEM]

Thanks mucho. I hope others will chime in to. Gary


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[JohnT]

Choosing an oak is not like pairing the perfect wine with food. All forms of oak bring "something to the table". Different toasts impart different flavors, all of which are desirable.

You need to decide what you wish to accomplish (or what flavors you want to impart) and then go with that.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm of the feeling that medium toast French oak goes well with just about anything. That being said, French barrels tend to be the most expensive, from what I've seen. I also like Hungarian and have two Vadai barrels that I've been extremely happy with. They are both 6 gallons and my understanding is that they are neutral after 18-24 months of use. From there, you can still use the barrel, then add American, Hungarian or French oak staves, cubes, etc as you like. From my somewhat limited research, the Vadai barrels are priced very competitively, but still provide significant quality.