Does freezing grapes reduce acid level?

[coboll2921]

I will be making grape wine again this year but will need to deal with the acid.
Last year the level was at 3.2 and I left it as is.
My wine was slightly sour so I thought I would deal with the acid this year.
Can freezing the grapes work for reducing acid?
I'm not going to juice them since it's a smaller batch this year.

 

[ibglowin]

No, freezing grapes does nothing to your acid levels.

You can cold stabilize a wine which will then drop some tartaric acid out but that is only once it is wine.

 

[coboll2921]

I don't have a way to cool down a 6 gal carboy.
No big extra frig around. How about the Potassium Carbonate method or other suggested method?

 

[sour_grapes]

But you live in Wisconsin! You can cold-stablize it this coming winter, outside or in your garage.

 

[ibglowin]

I would only add Carbonate as a last resort. Like just ahead of dumping it down the drain and you got nothing to loose resort. I like Paul's idea of waiting till Winter hits and transfer it to your garage or shed ect. for a few weeks or so.

 

[Turock]

What kind of grapes are these? A red wine at a PH of 3.2 often tastes too tart. That is certainly true on our concords. On reds, we like a PH around 3.4 so you are not far away from that PH. We adjust the PH with CALCIUM carbonate. You do not need to cold stabilize with it, as it will drop out tartaric crystals at room temp.

Because you are not far away from 3.4, be sure to use small amounts---like an 1/8th of a tsp at a time. Stir very well, allow it to sit for 15 minutes or so to integrate and then take a PH reading.

 

[jobe05]

When I make my Scuppernong wine, I use this product, along with cold stabilization to help drop the Tartaric acid, which Scuppernong is high in. Works well for me.

 

[coboll2921]

The grapes are a cross between a Concord and a European variety. The wine is a rose color and has a great grape flavor. They are at an old farm homestead and said to have come from Hungary in the early 1900's. The issue with last year's wine is that it was slightly tart. I would like to pick the grapes after the first frost to help with acidity but don't want to lose them to the wildlife. To cold stabilize in the garage or porch, I would need to lift the 5 or 6 gal carboys up from the basement. My husband could maybe do it but it would be alot of work.
I might try the calcium carbonate method. I hear adding water isn't recommended.

 

[Turock]

Every year, we have to use a bit of calcium carbonate on our concords. Now the idea of allowing more ripening is a good one because as a grape ripens, the acid drops. But you have to know your grape and what characteristic of it you like. Because when you allow a concord to ripen more, the fruity flavor disappears. If you don't care for that fruity flavor--what some people call "foxiness"---then you should let them ripen more.

But we like the fruity flavor on concord which mean we have to pick them early--when the brix is around 14 or so. The result of picking early to retain flavor is that they will be higher in acid. So a dose of calcium carbonate will bring the PH back. Be sure to use it pre-ferment. You should always take PH readings on your must and adjust if needed. Taste the juice while you're adjusting, and stop when it tastes good to you.

 

[coboll2921]

Ok, thanks Turock. We'll be picking this weekend. I'm hoping for a lower acid reading this year resulting in a smoother, less tart wine.

 

[Turock]

Good luck with the ferment. If you have any questions while preparing the ferment, don't hesitate to ask.

And yes you are correct in saying no water. It will kill the flavor. And if you do a warm ferment around 80 degrees you'll have a nice, deep red color. Cooler ferment yields a rose'.

 

[coboll2921]

Good luck with the ferment. If you have any questions while preparing the ferment, don't hesitate to ask.

And yes you are correct in saying no water. It will kill the flavor. And if you do a warm ferment around 80 degrees you'll have a nice, deep red color. Cooler ferment yields a rose'.

Thanks! This is my second year wine making and we try to improve every year.
I'm keeping notes and read this forum all the time. The flavor of the grapes is fabulous, it was just a little tart last year.

 

[WeimarWine]

Try stabilizing with potassium sorbate and sweeten to taste

The grapes are a cross between a Concord and a European variety. The wine is a rose color and has a great grape flavor. They are at an old farm homestead and said to have come from Hungary in the early 1900's. The issue with last year's wine is that it was slightly tart. I would like to pick the grapes after the first frost to help with acidity but don't want to lose them to the wildlife. To cold stabilize in the garage or porch, I would need to lift the 5 or 6 gal carboys up from the basement. My husband could maybe do it but it would be alot of work.
I might try the calcium carbonate method. I hear adding water isn't recommended.

Coboll, We make a red wine from Champanell grapes which also usually is a bit acidic and very grapey. We just accept the acidity as is and after fermenting to dry we stabilize the wine with potassium sorbate and sweeten to taste. Our wine would be considered off dry. The sugar addition counters the tartness/sour taste so that the fruitiness shows through. You might do a small trial this way to see if it works for you.

WeimarWine,

Mike

 

[coboll2921]

I thought about back sweetening last year but wasn't sure how much it would cut the tartness. So much to learn yet. I'm hoping for a stellar batch of wine this year. There's always hope with a fresh batch of grapes. We're going to take cuttings and plant them in our yard next spring. That will be a whole new adventure too.

 

[garymc]

Aging will help reduce the acidity. On the other hand, what's wrong with a slightly tart, refreshing wine?

 

[Turock]

When you backsweeten, what you are attempting to do is balance the acid. But if you start with a wine that's too acidic, then you have to use more sugar and sometimes you can get the wine too sweet for some drinkers. That's why you should always take PH readings and make adjustments before you start your ferments. Then you have a pretty balanced wine to start with and only need nominal amounts of sugar to balance the acid and give a perception of sweetness.