Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Oak chips are easier to work with than barrels and impart
indistinguishable results.
Oak chips impart their character quickly at first, and then
more slowly over time. Once they have been added, they can
be removed and the compounds they add will remain and
continue to work throughout the aging process. Though they
can be retained in the fermenter for as long as nine months,
little is gained by keeping them for longer than a month.
Before being added to the fermenter, the chips need to be
sanitized so they don't infect your wine with something nasty.
All you need to do is fill a quart canning jar with water, add a
quarter teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite powder, put your
oak chips in the water, and then put on the lid. After twenty
four hours, the chips can be added to the wine by simply
dumping them into the wine in the secondary fermenter. They
won't fit through the racking tube, so they'll be removed at
the next racking. Just rinse them out of the fermenter when
you clean it.
The technique of solera aging can be employed at home on a
smaller scale using simple glass fermenters.
