Left: The convection-oven toasted Savour Oak stave has a thorough amount of oven toasting that results in uniform flavor. Right: The fire toasted StaVin stave displays the full gradation of colors, indicating a wide range of flavors that mimic barrel toasting.

String Beans

Savour Oak's long-cycle convection-oven oak is an addition to StaVin's traditional fire toasted products. Naturally seasoned for three years like our StaVin line, Savour Oak yields high vanilla and sugar notes for your wines. Now you have a choice of toasted oak from StaVin - the same fine purveyor of oak whose consistent quality and impeccable service has been serving the international wine industry for sixteen years.

The primary difference between StaVin and Savour Oak products is the method of toasting. The StaVin line is toasted by hand using traditional oak fires. The Savour Oak line utilizes long-cycle convection-oven toasting. These different toasting protocols result in two separate, yet synergistic styles of toasted oak.

StaVin fire-toasted oak is characterized by the nostaligic aromas and textures commonly associated with high quality, fire toasted barrels. Hand fire toasting produces a temperature gradient throughout the wood resulting in complex layers of flavors.

In contrast, Savour Oak displays a uniform toast throughout the oak, exhibiting more sweet characters in the aromatics and increased viscosity on the palate.

Savour Oak includes the following products: Stave Fans, Segments, the Replica and the Insert. In addition, Savour Oak introduces two new products: the String Bean and the Fermentation Chip. Each is an effective, natural ingredient for initiating the stabilization of color and cross-linking tannins, which help build a wine's structure.

String Beans are 3/8" x 3/8" x 2" long (10mm x 10mm x 51mm). For a 100% new barrel impact use 1.5ln (680 g) per 60 gal (227 l).

Each bag will treat the equivalent of 10 barrels (600 gal or 2,271 l). We suggest a minimum contact time of eight weeks for full integration of flavors. String Beans have a one-year lifetime. Packaged in a 15lb (6.8kg) food-grade, nylon, mesh bag with grommet, they are protected during shipping by a poly bag.

Fermentation Chip: The chips are an economic method of incorporating toasted oak into fermentations. Three factors make them a suitable choice: First, they are a fast-extracting, high-quality oak that provides compounds to enhance a wine's color, aromatics and mouthfeel. Secondly, they are easy to include in your crush protocol. A third benefit is their low cost. Dose in the medium-size chips at the must pump and discard them with the pommace after pressing. For fermentation, we recommend 1 - 3 lbs (.5-1.4 kg) of chips per ton of grapes. We pack them in a food-grade poly bag of 15lb (6.8kg).

Usage: We suggest a maximum of 20% of Savour Oak, with the balance comprised of our fire toasted StaVin oak. If your wine contains any green or vegetal characteristics, we've seen good results by increasing the percentage of Savour Oak.

Savour Oak convection-toast products are made with the same dedication as all StaVin products. We are the company with the long-standing reputation for the highest standards of ongoing research and innovative product development.