Xoakers - in aging carboy instead of oak powder in primary?

[bjanu]

Hi all,

I am going to start a Cabernet Sauvignon Kit shortly. The kit comes with oak powder. I am going to swap out the powder for Xoakers.

My plan is to ferment as instructed but not use the oak powder in primary (or at all). I plan, though, to bulk age the wine with the xoakers for at least 6 months.

Does this sound good? I’ve never used xoakers before and the package recommends a minimum of 4 months contact time. Has anyone used xoakers before?

Thanks in advance.

Bruce

 

[ibglowin]

That would be a mistake. The use of oak powders in primary fermentation actually makes your wine more complex and enhances the wines flavor as the yeast can metabolize the powder to some extent. You will not over oak your wine if you use both powder and an oak adjunct in aging. I have used Xoakers. They are a good product and take a long time to fully extract (like 6 months or more until they sink to the bottom).

 

[bjanu]

That would be a mistake. The use of oak powders in primary fermentation actually makes your wine more complex and enhances the wines flavor as the yeast can metabolize the powder to some extent. You will not over oak your wine if you use both powder and an oak adjunct in aging. I have used Xoakers. They are a good product and take a long time to fully extract (like 6 months or more until they sink to the bottom).

Thanks, Ibglowin.

My primary concern was over-oaking.

 

[Ajmassa]

Hey Bruce. Happy thanksgiving!
Oak before&after primary are doing 2 different things- something I didn’t realize until pointed out to me. Allow me to ‘pay it forward’.
I think you should do both. The powder in primary helps the fermentation’s extraction process by adding more sacrificial tannins. This helps with color extraction and more body to the wine. Adding “Sacrificial tannins” will allow more natural tannins available to work after others inevitably become bound up.
The oak in aging is more straightforward and replicates that barrel aged taste we are all after. I haven’t used xoakers but have heard very good things about em.
So powder/chips in primary. And cubes/xoakers/stix/spirals/staves in aging.

Edit: well I guess I’m a slow typer. Mr moderator may very well have been the one to explain this to me as well. Good luck.

 

[ceeaton]

Hey Bruce. Happy thanksgiving!
Oak before&after primary are doing 2 different things- something I didn’t realize until pointed out to me. Allow me to ‘pay it forward’.
I think you should do both. The powder in primary helps the fermentation’s extraction process by adding more sacrificial tannins. This helps with color extraction and more body to the wine. Adding “Sacrificial tannins” will allow more natural tannins available to work after others inevitably become bound up.
The oak in aging is more straightforward and replicates that barrel aged taste we are all after. I haven’t used xoakers but have heard very good things about em.
So powder/chips in primary. And cubes/xoakers/stix/spirals/staves in aging.

Edit: well I guess I’m a slow typer. Mr moderator may very well have been the one to explain this to me as well. Good luck.

I agree with Aj (oh, and Mike, missed his post above), use both. I've used xoakers in a few batches and really like them. They seem to keep on giving to the wine slower and over a longer period of time (I think up to a year) and the oak flavor doesn't seem to be as harsh and one dimmentional, the flavor is a bit deeper in some ways.

 

[bjanu]

Thanks, everyone. I’ll use both. I appreciate the expertise.