Your opinion - Which oak with which varietal

[Wiccan_Lager]

Hello everyone,

So I am stuck on the fence here with may oak choices for this years batch. I have my order coming in 2 weeks or so. I am gathering up my materials (yeast, oak, ect...) now so come crunch time I can hit the ground running. What I have ordered are:

1 x 6 Gallon Grenache
2 x 6 Gallon Carignane
2 x 6 Gallon Zinfandel
1 x 6 Gallon, Alicante

My original plan was heavy American Oak for the 12 gallons of Zinfandel and Heavy French for the rest.

Would you guys and gals do it differently?

 

[JohnT]

This is like asking "do you prefer a blonde or brunette?'. It really comes down to taste.

So I fire the question back to you.. What do you like to get out of oak? Flavors can range from a "raw wood" taste, to vanillia, to chocolate and all of these depend on your choice of wood.