QOTD: dig the oak monster when he’s playing nicely, but when all you get is vanilla cream puffs and a dash of fruit, I get a little crazy too.

QOTD: Not a big Oak fan…but subtle oak in my opinion is necessary to make a wine taste complete.

Loved the video, I bet GV was training his palate at that age. I started too late, so now I have to catch up. Oak in red wine is not so bad, but prefer whites without the monster.

The OAK thing lay of it !

LOVE THE OAK ,breeding a bunch of H-C V-nagnacs

Davie Hogan was the kid in “stand by me.”

I’m afraid of the Oak Monster. He needs to go back to throwing apples at Dorothy in that Oz film…

QOTD: The monster is there, and if it is, it’s ok.. Don’t love the monster, don’t hate it

Against the Oak Monster. Sometimes it works, but overoaking more often than not can ruin a really good wine.

Hi Gary…
My boyfriend got me hooked on WLTV and I am an iTunes lurker. This is my first post, ever. I am not a fan of the Oak Monster…it bothers me when he really ruins a Chard that I’ve never tried before.
Jen

Too much oak is like artificial sweetener. Artificial!

Not too big on the Oak…. Grew up helping my dad in the shop building things on the weekends and such so every once in a while I’d get a mouth full of saw dust, lol. Didn’t like it then and I don’t care for it now.

Glad you are keeping the Thunder Rolling!!

Too bad for the excess oak … it kills the wine. I am definately not for the oak, 🙂

I really have split feelings on oak…

I loved the recommendation on the Four Vines “Naked” Chardonnay recommendation back in episode #289 as those styles I’ve always felt were susceptible to hitting you over the head with the oak to the detriment of everything else going on. That actually started getting me back into some of the whites I haven’t been anxious to try in a while.

Some of the heartier reds (which I admit is the majority of my consumption) can stand up to much heavier uses of the Oak Monster and he can be a very welcome friend when everything else in the wine can stand up to him and punch him back in the nose if he starts to get a bit unruly.

The Oak Monster is just one of those friends that thinks he’s being subtle when he really isn’t. Since he doesn’t do subtle you cannot hint at when he’s getting out of control you just have to tell him “dude, you’ve crossed the line!” Up till that line, though, he’s a lot of fun to be with.

Nay on the Oakmonster. Understand how/why people are so easily seduced by it – sweet and warm and soft – it just GETS SO OLD! Maybe like once a year when your eating raw grizzly bear or something, on a mountain… it does goes well with campfires. But c’mon! Are you into wine or Oak-aid!

oak is ok, like most things, in moderation. not ok when it is dominant.

QOTD: For, but it needs to be within reason like anything else, its when things get out of balance that they start to be a problem. It seems like a lot of people are just going with what Gary said, I bet if Gary was the biggest fan of Oak ever, the results of this question would be greatly different.

GV- I went to Napa/Sonoma about a year ago expecting to come back with all sorts of Cab and Chard but found myself liking many of the merlots the best- it is totally under the radar. QOTD: Nay

QOTD—— Can’t go with the Oak MONSTER………. no way G
Keep trying on the Merlots dude .. There are better ones out there..

do enjoy a well intergrated bit of oak but when it is

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

it bugs me that the good fruit is hidden, all that work to make the wine and then it is hidden,

so have to say against

chris the greek

QOTD: I am becoming less and less tolerant of oak, especially in whites, and “lighter” reds like pinots. Some oak in “heavier” reds like cab based wines is cool.

QOTD: AGAINST over oaking!!!! Bad, bad, Walla Walla!!!

Love merlot, hate the oak monster!!

Banish the Oak Monster forever!!!.

no oak no complexity for whites in my book. Split on reds with oak. I like to taste sawdust in my throat after i taste with reds, but don’t like to taste the oak in the beginning or smell it in the bouquet. But good wine is wine you think is good so just my take. love the show.

GV – too bad you had a rough day on the Merlittle show. I could not see payinig $56 for a Long Island wine because I don’t roll that way. I could see paying $49 for the Beausejour!

QOTD – I don’t think you realize how political of a question this really is.
There are so many elements and layers to this question.
I am personally not a fan of the Oak Monster as a general rule.
However, it depends on the situation.
When the Oak Monster appears at a rally and is humble and gently makes his point, then I can vote for him.
When he gets on his soap box and rants and raves, then I am really turned off.

Another issue has to do with spousal influence. My wife is a big fan of the Oak Monster and I need to keep peace in the valley. However, because we are free thinkers, there are simply times where we peacefully agree to disagree. In that case, we split the Oak Monster in 2. I take the very small portion in the way of a lightly oaked Chard, and my wife take the majority and sips on her Barossa Valley fruit bomb.