Cloudy Riesling

[iridium]

I started my first batch of wine from grapes. I got 25 pounds of Riesling grapes and crushed and destem mrs. The pH measured at 3.2 and SG at 1.100. I added k-meta and waited 24 hours and pitched yeast. I let primary go for a week and it stayed at lower fermentation temperatures. I didn’t see it ever get above 74 F. After a week I racked to a carboy to start aging. SG was .998 and pH was 3.1.

First question is that the pH seems low. Should I try to raise even though primary is done?

Second is the wine is very cloudy and still producing bubbles. There does not appear to be any settling of the wine at this point. See attached pictures. Should I add clearing agents or wait longer to see what happens?

Thank you for any insight.

 

[Johnd]

You should wait until your SG is unchanged for three straight days, indicating the end of AF, then add the appropriate amount of sulfite for 1 gallon, and let it sit. As the CO2 continues to come out, the sediment will begin to fall out, and it will clear in time. You’ll need to rack and sulfite at appropriate times.

If you decide to use clearing agents, adding them after you sulfite would be fine.

As for the pH, consider letting the wine sit, degas, clear, and age a bit before tackling that. After all, the reason the adjust it on this wine is taste, and that will be masked some by CO2 and young age for a good while.

 

[user 36973]

First question is that the pH seems low. Should I try to raise even though primary is done?

Have you measured the TA yet? That is how acidic the wine will taste. A good TA range for whites is 7.0-8.5, depending on style and preference of course. The low pH means you have head-room to lower the TA (and concurrently raise the pH - keep below 3.5).

Second is the wine is very cloudy and still producing bubbles. There does not appear to be any settling of the wine at this point. See attached pictures. Should I add clearing agents or wait longer to see what happens?

The wine is still settling, outgassing and the yeast are possibly still working on the last few grams/liter of sugar they are able to consume. I'd go ahead and add your sulfites, adjust the TA to taste, add your sorbate and pop it in the fridge to begin cold stabilizing.

 

[iridium]

I have not measured TA yet as I don’t have a means of doing that. I don’t know that I have the resources for those test kits.