Apple Wine: Low pH and Low TA ... what to do.

[xriddle]

I'm using apples that I picked myself back in October ... No juice ... I bought some Macintosh apples and juiced them and added them to the must measuring the pH before adding them and it raised my pH slightly to 3.2 but the TA is sitting at 3.6 now according to my vinmetrica. I know my probe is working since I tested the TA of 3 batches of grape wine at the same time and my TA for the wines is right on target at .6-.7.

 

[ShawnDTurner]

Did you forget to double your number in regards to your TA? I believe with the VinM they provide you with .1 solution

 

[Turock]

Calcium carb is always the choice when raising PH pre-ferment. Calcium carb in a fruit wine works by neutalizing the acid, since there is no tartrate to convert to calcium tartrate.

Potassium is always used post ferment for tweaking. I know some white papers talk about using it in the must, but many times you're moving the PH many tenths and too much of it CAN damage the nose and flavor of some wines. Potassium carb always needs to be cold stabilized.

However, he already has an acidic wine and when you take an acidic wine into CS, the PH actually FALLS. A wine going into CS at a PH of 3.65 should stay at that PH. PH rises and falls depending on how far away from 3.65 it starts.

This isn't an exact formula due to buffer capacity and ability to get accurate readings. But in general, wines below 3.65 will fall and wines above 3.65 will rise in PH with CS.

So he is better off using calcium carbonate to neutralize the acid, instead of trying to drop it out.

You can also ferment this with 71B culture which will metabolize some of the malic, making the wine less harsh. If you use this culture, be sure to rehydrate it with Go-Ferm.

 

[LoveTheWine]

Calcium carb is always the choice when raising PH pre-ferment. Calcium carb in a fruit wine works by neutalizing the acid, since there is no tartrate to convert to calcium tartrate.

Potassium is always used post ferment for tweaking. I know some white papers talk about using it in the must, but many times you're moving the PH many tenths and too much of it CAN damage the nose and flavor of some wines. Potassium carb always needs to be cold stabilized.

However, he already has an acidic wine and when you take an acidic wine into CS, the PH actually FALLS. A wine going into CS at a PH of 3.65 should stay at that PH. PH rises and falls depending on how far away from 3.65 it starts.

This isn't an exact formula due to buffer capacity and ability to get accurate readings. But in general, wines below 3.65 will fall and wines above 3.65 will rise in PH with CS.

So he is better off using calcium carbonate to neutralize the acid, instead of trying to drop it out.

You can also ferment this with 71B culture which will metabolize some of the malic, making the wine less harsh. If you use this culture, be sure to rehydrate it with Go-Ferm.

Except... It sounds like this must is low in acid, so doing any of the above would lower the acid further. The PH being low isn't a problem if your acid is actually low as well.
If anything, acid should be added... but if the must tastes good right now I say ferment as is. If you need to add some acid later because it's too flabby then no big deal.

 

[xriddle]

Except... It sounds like this must is low in acid, so doing any of the above would lower the acid further. The PH being low isn't a problem if your acid is actually low as well.
If anything, acid should be added... but if the must tastes good right now I say ferment as is. If you need to add some acid later because it's too flabby then no big deal.

I think I will go ahead with this and pinch the yeast today and take it from there. But Turock mentioned something that stuck. This is the only batch that I started in my garage and I'm wondering if the cold (Canada weather) caused it to CS dropping the pH as I was macerating. I suppose its possible.

Thanks again to all I'll post once the ferment completes.

 

[xriddle]

Did you forget to double your number in regards to your TA? I believe with the VinM they provide you with .1 solution

You are correct about the solution but i did double my number. I used 1.8ml of the TA solution to get my ph to 8.2. 1.8x2=3.6.

 

[Zog]

. always add malic acid to apple wine not tartaric or acid blend.

Why is that?

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Malic main acid in apples. Tartaric in grapes. Citric in oranges. If you add the same kind of acid that is predominate in the fruit you wont risk changing the taste of the fruit so much. WVMJ

Why is that?