Would you oak either Black Current or Elderberry?

[Sammyk]

The Home Winery Elderberry and Black Current are in secondaries. Would you oak either? If so what kind of oak? These are in one gallon carboys (that is all we use) so if you would oak, what kind and how much oak per 1 gallon carboy?

We have never oaked any wine unless it came with oak so we need some guidance.

 

[pjd]

I think oak would be appropriate in both. I have never made black current wine but have made many gallons of elderberry. I also never have made 1 gallon batches so it is up to you to do the math. I like to use French oak chips and normally will add 1/4 cup oak chips to a 5 or 6 gallon carboy. I leave them in on average 4 weeks. I start tasting at 2 weeks and remove when slightly over oaked. the oak mellows as it ages.

You do know that you can make 5 or 6 gallons with the same labor as 1 gallon don't you?

 

[Sammyk]

Of course we do but because we both have limitations on lifting we use one gallon carboys, have about 60 of the one gallon and a dozen 1/2 gallon ones. The primary sits on the table and never gets moved since we have an all in one pump. Not everyone is able to lift a 3, 5 or 6 gallon carboy. Some like us, have weight limitations.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Oak away, whatever kind you like just like your other red wines. Both currants and elders take oak well, nothing different about oaking them than any other wine. How in the world do you folks keep track of so many carboys and can I come over when you taste them all WVMJ

 

[Runningwolf]

I usually go for about 15 grams per gallon. If fermenting and aging in 1 or 1/2 gallon jugs, why bother bottling? I would think many of them don't get bottled. I would set up shelves in the new cellar and just set them up off the floor so you don't have to bend over either.

 

[Downwards]

I always oak my elderberry. It really is good. I use whatever is on hand, but what I have on hand is always at least a medium toast. Heavy Hungarian is what I have at the moment and just put some in my 10 gallons of dried elderberry.

 

[seth8530]

I liked the effect that medium+ Hungarian had on my black currant.

 

[Norske]

How much Hungarian did you add to the black currant?

 

[seth8530]

I used 3 ozs, but I needed it to balance mine out due to high alcohol.

 

[Sammyk]

If you had read our wine cellar thread, the one with all the problems with the contractor, you would know that we do bottle all of our wines. Just because we use 1 gallon carboys does not mean that they are not bottled. For health reasons our doctor only allows 4 oz each daily and we very rarely go over that 4 oz limit.

We have 5 of the 168 per bottle shelves in the cellar and the shelves are all pretty much full now. Attached photo is from awhile back.

We have a few more batches to finish up and then we are pretty much done making wine because we have more than enough to last a few years. Some will not be ready for at least another year and some will age longer.