Am I missing anything?

[DAB]

Very well, I understand. However, never having attempted this kind of must modification before (after all, this is my first batch of wine ever) how, exactly, would one/I go about conducting such bench trials?

Thank you,
DAB

 

[sour_grapes]

Very well, I understand. However, never having attempted this kind of must modification before (after all, this is my first batch of wine ever) how, exactly, would one/I go about conducting such bench trials?

Thank you,
DAB

I copied and pasted this from, I believe @salcoco

acid additions should be done after wine is clear and about two months old. the best method is a bench trial. take 10 grams of tartaric and dissolve in 100ml of distilled water. use 100ml sample of wine. add 1 ml to first, 2 ml to the second, 3 ml to the third etc. do taste test. each ml of solution is equal to one gram per liter addition to finished wine.

 

[DAB]

Okay, I'll give that a try. Next question, does it need to be Tartaric acid alone? Or, can it be a blend like the one sold to me from my local home brew/wine shop that is labeled Tartaric/Malic/Citric acid blend?

Thanks,
DAB

 

[Johnd]

Okay, I'll give that a try. Next question, does it need to be Tartaric acid alone? Or, can it be a blend like the one sold to me from my local home brew/wine shop that is labeled Tartaric/Malic/Citric acid blend?

Thanks,
DAB

In grape wine, we use tartaric acid alone. For most fruit wines, the acid blend is the choice, so hang on to it if you make fruit wines!!

 

[Johnd]

In grape wine, we use tartaric acid alone. For most fruit wines, the acid blend is the choice, so hang on to it if you make fruit wines!!

Look at the acids in the acid blend, one of them is malic, which you just took the time to convert to lactic (MLF), would you really want to add more to the wine? I think not, LOL!!!

 

[DAB]

Excellent point Johnd...excellent point. It's tartaric then...I'll get some.

Thanks,
DAB

 

[tjgaul]

Look at the acids in the acid blend, one of them is malic, which you just took the time to convert to lactic (MLF), would you really want to add more to the wine? I think not, LOL!!!

Okay, so tartaric is the acid of choice for grape wines and the blend is not preferable due to the inclusion of malic. How does citric compare to tartaric in terms of the perceived impact on taste?

I have easy access to commercial (food grade) liquid citric acid so this would be easy to use, but only if it will provide the proper type of acidity. Right now I use it to enhance my meta-bisulphite sanitizer.

 

[Johnd]

The blend is not preferable due to the inclusion of both malic and citric. Citric is a minor acid in grapes, don’t believe it’s wise to use it to adjust acidity in grapes, making it a major component of the acidity profile. Best to stick with tartaric for your grape wines and blend in your fruits.

 

[Ajmassa]

 

[tjgaul]

Thanks John & AJ. The MoreWine article definitely confirms it. I prefer to wine wine rather than vinegar.

 

[mainshipfred]

This is the percentages using Carlson's Acid Blend. Even a poorer choice. I bought a large bag once and now use it with my K-meta for sanitizing.
50% Malic Acid
40% Citric Acid
10% Tartaric Acid