How do I add a smoked flavour to a red wine?

Question

I often make wine from kits. I'm a bit bored with the flavour and would love it to taste smoky and oaky. How do I add a smoked flavour to a red wine?

Answer 1

If you want that oaky, smokey flavor the best way to do it is with toasted oak. At a home level, most people opt for cubes or chunks of toasted oak. At a professional level, the insides of barrels are toasted and impart that flavor.

How much and how long you do it is a preference thing. You need to taste every couple of weeks to see if the oak is giving you the flavors you want. When you are there, pull the wine off the oak. You can put the oak in a mesh bag and then pull it so you don't have to rack it because the oak will sink to the bottom eventually.