Bland Red Wine - Patience or Intervention?

[ibglowin]

Along with what John already mentioned:

TA Test kit (use pH meter for endpoint)
SO2 test either Vinmetrica or A/O Rig setup.
MLF test kit.

 

[joeycannoli]

So I took a PH reading today. It was right at 4. I have read the ideal for red is 3.3-3.6. Is this enough of a difference where corrective steps need to be done?

On a side note, got some nice aromas and it seems to be building a body. Thinking you guys were right with just some time needed. Thoughts?

 

[ibglowin]

Was this measurement taken with a pH meter? If so was the meter properly calibrated? Short answer is yes. A red wine with pH 4 is pretty high and could use some adjusting with tartaric acid to bring it down closer to ~3.6 as long as the TA stays within normal range. You need to monitor both to keep the wine balanced.

So I took a PH reading today. It was right at 4. I have read the ideal for red is 3.3-3.6. Is this enough of a difference where corrective steps need to be done?

On a side note, got some nice aromas and it seems to be building a body. Thinking you guys were right with just some time needed. Thoughts?

 

[Johnd]

To add to what Mike said, your wine is young yet, may still contain CO2, and the presence of CO2 can also distort your pH meter readings. You can put a few ml into a small closed vessel, warm it in your hands, shake, and release CO2 a few times, should eliminate the distortion from your readings, if any is present.

 

[Johny99]

@Johnd has a good point. I give mine a few seconds in the microwave, don’t boil it though!

Go slow on adding tartaric. I’d start with trying to lower by 0.1. Bench trial, treat the whole batch, and wait a couple of weeks, then repeat to get where you like it. I’ve had confusing and weird unpleasant results from trying to make the whole adjustment at once.

 

[pillswoj]

Just a quick point,. High levels of CO2 will cause a lower then normal pH reading not higher. CO2 dissolved in water forms carbonic acid.

 

[Scooter68]

At 3 months the CO2 levels should be on the way down. Degassing to "complete" the process would be a good step before you start using additives.
You are correct that a reading of 4.0 is out of the desired range. Since it's a logarithmic scale you can't really say "Well 3.4 - 3.6 is "normal" so that's only a little bit out of range.
I would recommend degassing as soon as possible, then take another reading. If there is still a lot of CO2 left before degassing, you can expect to see some movement in the readings. BUT with the wine out of the desired range you also have to be alert to the fact that the acidic nature of wine is part of what protects it from spoiling. I would move quickly to degass, retest and then begin adjusting the acidity.

Keep in mind that a slightly overly acidic wine isn't a horrible thing. I've seen commercial wineries listing a wine for sale with a pH reading of 3.18. The acidity, if off is going to be more acceptable if it's below 3.4-3.6 rather than above those numbers. So if you overshoot and end up with a wine at 3.2 or 3.25, that's better than being where you are at right now.

 

[joeycannoli]

Was this measurement taken with a pH meter? If so was the meter properly calibrated? Short answer is yes. A red wine with pH 4 is pretty high and could use some adjusting with tartaric acid to bring it down closer to ~3.6 as long as the TA stays within normal range. You need to monitor both to keep the wine balanced.

Yes, took it with my new PH meter. I followed the instructions and calibrated it and double checked that the calibration was set correctly.

I am planning to do a bench trial with a small amount of wine and tartaric acid to bring the PH down. Will report back.

Thank you all for the information and recommendations. You have all been such a great help and I really appreciate it.