How important is pH for mead/fruit wines

[meadman77]

Hi,
I'm still learning the basics here. I have just put down a barkshack gingermead with 1.5kg of black plums in it. I have been reading about the importance of pH in wines in general, particularly fruit wines. The info I read for fruit wines states that the pH should be between 3.3 and 3.4.

I am contemplating buying a digital pH meter.

How important is measuring pH for mead and for fruit wines? Most recipes I have seen don't mention it and often recommend to add a certain amount of acid but other sources say it is crucial.

I just tried to measure pH using litmus paper but the colour appears to indicate a pH around 5 which surely can't be right.

 

[REDBOATNY]

Acid levels can vary from year to year, and even orchard to orchard. Any recipe that says to add acid is only a shot in the dark. A ph meter is the way to go, you will be able to control your ph and acid levels with a minimum investment.

 

[Deezil]

pH is pretty important with meads, and with fruit wines.

Traditional meads (honey + water) have a low buffering capacity though, and the pH can swing pretty far with minimal tweaking, so it's best to go slow with any carbonate additions when attempting to raise the pH, as well as going light on the acid adjustments if the pH isnt low enough. Usually, the mead is fermented how it sits and the acidity is adjusted post-fermentation; a bit backwards from winemaking practices.

Fruit meads (melomels) will have a slightly higher buffering capacity, but they're best treated as if they are Traditionals, in the sense of going slow. These, I adjust pre-fermentation, but it takes some time to get it just right. And you'll also want to check the pH again post-fermentation, because the fermentation can change the pH.

Fruit wines, with fruit and white sugar, dont swing so wildly and can usually have the pH set pre-fermentation. It's always wise to check every batch again post-fermentation, but the chances are lowering for needing major fixes on fruit wines as opposed to fruit meads (melomels) and traditionals.

 

[meadman77]

Thanks a lot guys that's really helpful. I didn't realise that you can adjust pH post fermentation. Are the target levels the same as those recommended pre-fermentation?

I was thinking about getting a cheap pH meter from ebay to start. I can always upgrade later. I'm conscious of their limitations accuracy-wise but can't justify the big jump in price to get a really good one at this stage. I'm looking at this one:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/0-01-14-...l_Spa_Beach&hash=item3f42a79e3f#ht_774wt_1363

They claim accuracy +/- -0.05.

You think it will do the job for a while?

 

[meadman77]

Also is it ok to just focus on pH rather than TA? I've read a lot about this but there seems to be conflicting opinions.

 

[Deezil]

You'll want to measure both, but people usually find themselves focusing on one or the other. They're different measurements; one measures the amount of acids while the other measures the strength of those acids.

You could, I suppose, get away with a cheapie. But I have a 'do it right the first time' life philosophy, so I'm not really the right one to be asking on that lol