A Little Acid Taste

[rebusify]

I'm at day 14 of my Rose kit. I have an SG of .996 and it's still fermenting. I see tiny bubbles still forming all over the top. After I tested the SG I took that sample and tasted it. It's a bit acidic. Is this normal right now? If not what steps should I take to lower the acidic level? No other stuff has been added since it's still fermenting. Thank you.

 

[Johnd]

I'm at day 14 of my Rose kit. I have an SG of .996 and it's still fermenting. I see tiny bubbles still forming all over the top. After I tested the SG I took that sample and tasted it. It's a bit acidic. Is this normal right now? If not what steps should I take to lower the acidic level? No other stuff has been added since it's still fermenting. Thank you.

You should wait until WAY after fermentation and clearing before tasting your wine to decide if it needs adjustments. Freshly fermented wine is funky and disjointed, many slow chemical changes take place over the following weeks and months. If you bottle a kit within the time frame in the directions, you’re nowhere close to getting to the decision making time. My advice, give it a few months to clear, stabilize, and develop its flavor profile, then decide what you want to do.

 

[rebusify]

Thanks. Here's the latest on it. My wife says it has a vinegar smell to it and the PH is at 2.30. Is this thing bad?

 

[cmason1957]

You can't trust PH measurements while fermentation is active. The CO2 messes with the measurement and reports it very low. If this did come from a kit, it should end up with a fine ph measurement.

Young wine always smells and tastes somewhat off. Assuming you practiced even minor amounts of sanitation, you are probably fine. Follow your directions, what do you have to lose, except some time.

 

[hounddawg]

yup what JOHND and cmason 1957 said,
Dawg

 

[RParker@VDV]

During fermentation, you can take a juice sample and de-gas it as much as you can to get a reasonably accurate pH reading. In the future though, get your pH and TA readings at the juice stage. If you need to adjust acid content, this is the best time to do so as it integrates more seamlessly then adding post ferment. Try to avoid de-acidifying if possible, it's just another addition and wine movement that will impact aromatics and flavor.

For your particular situation, wait until ferment has finished and take a pH and TA reading and carefully assess the palate for balance. Remember, you still have the option of Malolactic Fermentation which will lower acidity and round off the palate somewhat. Additionally, you can add grape juice concentrate to balance the acid. Without tasting it, I would set up 100ml trials with say 0.25 grams/litre increments of GJC up to about 2.5 grams per liter. If you can avoid deacidification I definitely would given your current experience level.

 

[Scooter68]

As mentioned - pH testing during fermentation is a waste of time. Even after fermentation is over there will be residual CO2 that can mess with the results. If you need a pH number, wait until the wine is completely clear and degassed - like just before bottling time.
Never heard of doing MLF on a Rose wine but if that's the way you want to go... go for it.

 

[stickman]

TA is definitely affected by co2 content, so conducting a TA titration with co2 present will cause an error on the high side. Degassing the sample is good practice, but it should be pointed out that pH is not significantly affected by co2 unless the initial must or wine pH is above 4. When the wine pH is 4 or below, none of the co2 (carbonic acid) is dissociated and therefore doesn't contribute to the pH.

 

[sour_grapes]

When the wine pH is 4 or below, none of the co2 (carbonic acid) is dissociated and therefore doesn't contribute to the pH.

I did not know that, Stick. Thanks for the info!