Why Oak At All? For the Home Wine Maker

[JerryF]

When I first found this site and became a member, it had been over 25 years since I'd been involved in any home winemaking so perhaps I've missed something along the way. I do recall that when I did wines back then, there were absolutely no discussions or proponents to the use of oak in wine for the home winemaker (especially those starting from kits) and now I see many, many discussions about its use and pro/con arguments about the level of toast, type of oak, etc.

While I understand the historical use of oak (i.e. barrel aging for a so-called specific taste profile) by most of the major wineries around the world, I'm less enlightened about its use by the home winemaker. I read the "Oak Information Paper" by Shea Comfort that was in TonyP's link and have a much better understanding about the effects on a wine's characteristics but I'm just not so sure the home winemaker can ever really reap the benefits of oaking by use of chips, sawdust, cubes, etc. It never seemed to be an issue in "the so-called old days" and now suddenly it seems that it is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start an argument for or against, just trying to understand the whole discussion well enough to decide if I need to go out and acquire some oak to get the best out of my wines. Several of the wine kits I've recently purchased and/or been given, do not even include oaking in the additive packs nor do they even mention oaking in the instruction leaflets. Besides too, I'm not at all sure I have the palate that can discern whether a wine has even been oaked or not.

I expect to be chastised for raising a question or two that's probably been addressed already and many times over but there has to be others out there too that often wonder. I need to know if it's worth it to get in trouble for cutting down my neighbors oak tree and putting it through my wood planer (before getting in trouble with my wife for toasting oak shavings in her new overn).

Jerry

 

[Putterrr]

I would say it all depends on what you like. I like the oaky taste so I use it and enjoy my products.

For you I might suggest doing 2 kits side by side, 1 with and 1 without. Or get 2 half carboys and spilt a batch. Then you can decide for yourself which is right for you.

cheers

 

[JerryF]

I would say it all depends on what you like. I like the oaky taste so I use it and enjoy my products.

For you I might suggest doing 2 kits side by side, 1 with and 1 without. Or get 2 half carboys and spilt a batch. Then you can decide for yourself which is right for you.

cheers

Thanks. Yeah, I realize the whole thing is really one of those "to each his own" kind of situations and it's all a matter of personal preference. You're dead on in that for me, the only real way to satisfy this is to do a side by side comparison (with/without) so I'll have to consider how best to accomplish that (I only have one half-size carboy right now).

 

[Putterrr]

Borrow a second in exchange for a bottle when you're finished. Everyone like free wine

cheers

 

[TonyP]

Jerry, thanks for the plug. I'm certain you realize that oak isn't neutral - it adds something to wine. Some wines benefit from oak and others don't. In the case of Chardonnay, for example, the buttery aspect comes from oaking. But I wouldn't want that in a Riesling.

While oak is sort of old world-ish, many wines (particularly reds) are made with oak today. Not all oaked commercial wines involve barrels. Commercial wineries use staves, spirals, and other materials when adding oak.

 

[Turock]

You should purchase a package of oak from your wine supply shop. It's not that expensive and you can choose different toast levels.

Morewine has a nice discussion in their catalog of different kinds of oak including when to use cubes, chips,etc. I'm sure you can access it online.

We've been experimenting with oak over the last few years and have gotten some very nice results. It's just another tool in your tool bag of winemaking techniques but nothing says you HAVE to oak.

 

[JohnT]

OK,

There is a lot about oak.

Professional wineries use oak for good reason. Just think of the expense that oak barrels represent. Wineries do this for 2 very important reasons.

First, barrels do more then just flavor wine. Through barrel aging, there is a centain level of evaporation that occurs in the wine. This serves to concentrate the flavors and make the wine more robust. Another feature of barrel aging is a certain level of "Micro Oxidation" that serves to soften wine and control the levels of tannins. these to features of barrel aging result in a smooth, robust wine.

Secondly, Most barrels are made from either american or european oak. The wood itself adds a level of flavor components to the wine. Although most home winemakers do not have the means for a barrel, the oak additives currently out there can lend the same flavor profiles to the wine.
I have had experience with most of the products out there, and I have to say that you need to first decide what you like in the way of oak before you proceed.

One rule of thumb that I use is "bigger is better". In other words, I prefer stalves to squares, I prefer squares to cubes, I prefer cubes to chips, and I prefer chips to dust.

IMHO, There are really only two "groupings" of flavor profiles to be achieved through oaking, Wood and vanilla/chocolate. The flavor profiles depend on the level of toast that was performed on the oak you are using.

If you prefer a "wood" flavor (much like sniffing a plank of oak), then you should go for a lighter toast. Also, this group of flavor profiles can be achieved using just about any oaking product (from stalves right down to dust).

If you, however, prefer vanilla flavor profiles, use a medium/dark toast. Also go with the largest pieces of oak you can. The vanilla flavors are the result of the caramelization of wood sugars during the toasting process. This exists in a layer of wood just below the char. The larger the piece of wood, the more vanillans you will extract. For these flavor profiles, I would advise against using either chips or dust as they are simply not thick enough to offer much in the way of vanillan.

Hope this helps and also answers your "why" question. Once upon a time, I too was wondering if it was worth while. In 1994, I made a side-by-side comparison and believe me, you really should give it a try!

johnT.

For the most part there are really Two type a flavor profiles that oak brings to the party.

 

[Boatboy24]

I think you summed it up pretty well, Jerry. It's about personal taste/preference. Some kits come with oak dust or shavings for the primary, and while I don't think that they impart any flavor, rumor has it they help in getting rid of herbacious notes and perhaps add body. I enjoy a little oak flavor in my reds, but not everyone does. There are other benefits of barrel aging that have little to do with the flavor - I'm just learning about those, as I got a barrel a month or so ago. But the barrel aging gives you microoxidation and some concentration of the wine.

 

[robie]

Buy some 3 gallon carboys and split a kit into them. I do this often. Oak one and not the other.
Experiment!

As was mentioned, it is all very subjective. We all have different tastes - likes and dislikes.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Buy some 3 gallon carboys and split a kit into them. I do this often. Oak one and not the other.
Experiment!

As was mentioned, it is all very subjective. We all have different tastes - likes and dislikes.

Amen!! Also experiment with the length of time the wine is exposed to the oak as well...

 

[jswordy]

Amen!! Also experiment with the length of time the wine is exposed to the oak as well...

Absolutely! It pays to steal wine and taste test along the way. While over-oaked wine will straighten out with long aging, it's easier to catch it when you have it like you want it and shorten your wait.