Petite Pearl

[GeneseeEstates]

Hello,

I am new here. First time poster. I was able to get my hands on Wisconsin Petite Pearl grapes last year. Starting info was
Brix: 22
TA: 6.45
pH: 3.51

I did not do MLF. Wine started fermenting Oct 2023, so I am at 8 months at this point. I have racked 3 times and just dosed with Sparkolloid for clarifying.
My issue with it, it’s SUPER TART! Wow! From what I read, I should have done a MLF on it during fermentation but that ship sailed months ago.

I was planning to bottle next month. Is there something I can do to the wine to reduce that acid? I figured I may be able to blend with another wine I have going?

Or should I wait until the temps drop next few months and try and cold crash some of the acid out?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Hello,

I am new here. First time poster. I was able to get my hands on Wisconsin Petite Pearl grapes last year. Starting info was
Brix: 22
TA: 6.45
pH: 3.51

I did not do MLF. Wine started fermenting Oct 2023, so I am at 8 months at this point. I have racked 3 times and just dosed with Sparkolloid for clarifying.
My issue with it, it’s SUPER TART! Wow! From what I read, I should have done a MLF on it during fermentation but that ship sailed months ago.

I was planning to bottle next month. Is there something I can do to the wine to reduce that acid? I figured I may be able to blend with another wine I have going?

Or should I wait until the temps drop next few months and try and cold crash some of the acid out?

Thanks ahead of time.

You could try cold crashing, but also consider back sweetening with sugar syrup. Sweetness tends to mask/balance the acid. It might also accentuate the flavor of the fruit.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome aboard from one county over!

 

[Rice_Guy]

welcome to WMT, you are a few minutes away from Wisconsin Home Winemakers which meets usually in Hales Corner. I hope we meet.

The TA number seems funny. 6.45% would be higher than drinking straight Real Lemon. If 6.45 grams per liter you are exactly where acid should be on a numbers basis.

Petite Pearl is one of the better tannin grapes which grow in the Midwest. The flavor of skin tannin is astringent which will magnify the acid notes. ,,, Flavors come in waves as saliva mixes and washes the chemical out of the mouth. First is a sweet sensation followed by acidic. Acid should be washing out at 30 seconds. If there are good tannins they will continue to be sensed as an acid note, but also giving a roughness on the roof of the mouth. The astringent notes can last a minute and more with young PP. If I assume you were 0.65% acid you probably are tasting young tannin. Tannin is an antioxidant which can translate into years of shelf life so we want some. ,,, and we call a one year old wine “harsh, it will be better next year or in two years”.

At this point I would try to meet some folks who are experienced at tasting PP (and vinifera that we bring to Wis for making wine). ,,, Take a sample to the Milwaukee (fox river park picnic) or Madison (Aug 27) club meeting for a second opinion. ,,, Assuming your number was in grams per liter (1000 grams) I would bottle and get the carboy ready for this years crop.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT! Great advice above~ other methods to reduce acidity are to dilute (this will make it too thin), and to add something like potassium bicarbonate to bring up the pH. I find that really changes the mouthfeel and adds a sense of metallic taste so I don’t go that route either.

That being said, your pH looks just fine. You don’t want to be too much higher. It does sound like more of the tannins that @Rice_Guy mentioned. A little back sweetening like @Ohio Bob mentioned will help. A little. Do bench trials. It’s easier to add than try to re-mask over sweet. You could also try a little glycerine to enhance mouthfeel. And of course, the hardest of all… wait. LOL

 

[ChuckD]

Welcome to WMT from another Wisconsinite.

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

Note on backsweetening -- it doesn't mean making a "sweet" wine. Rather, it means adding sugar to a finished wine while ensuring it doesn't ferment, using sorbate + K-meta or other means. While it sounds like it's the same thing, you have control over how much sugar to add.

I recently bottled Vidal whose acid was unpleasantly sharp. Adding 1/4 cup sugar to 4 liters balanced the acid, leaving the wine tasting barely off-dry.

I also have a Chambourcin that is somewhat acidic. For this one I'm going to try potassium bicarbonate in some of it and backsweeten 4 or 8 liters.

Important -- if you do MLF, you need to add Lysozyme before adding sorbate if backsweetening, as MLB and sorbate do not mix well.

For future reference:

• Cold stabilization may cause excess tartaric acid to drop in the form of tartrate crystals.
• Potassium bicarbonate neutralizes tartaric acid.
• MLF reduces malic acid.
• Some yeast strains eat malic acid.

 

[David Violante]

Here’s a great article on tannin sensations, specifically in Argentine wine, but it’s a good description of how folks perceive and relate the experience.

Meet the five types of tannins that can be found in Argentine wine

 

[GeneseeEstates]

welcome to WMT, you are a few minutes away from Wisconsin Home Winemakers which meets usually in Hales Corner. I hope we meet.

The TA number seems funny. 6.45% would be higher than drinking straight Real Lemon. If 6.45 grams per liter you are exactly where acid should be on a numbers basis.

Petite Pearl is one of the better tannin grapes which grow in the Midwest. The flavor of skin tannin is astringent which will magnify the acid notes. ,,, Flavors come in waves as saliva mixes and washes the chemical out of the mouth. First is a sweet sensation followed by acidic. Acid should be washing out at 30 seconds. If there are good tannins they will continue to be sensed as an acid note, but also giving a roughness on the roof of the mouth. The astringent notes can last a minute and more with young PP. If I assume you were 0.65% acid you probably are tasting young tannin. Tannin is an antioxidant which can translate into years of shelf life so we want some. ,,, and we call a one year old wine “harsh, it will be better next year or in two years”.

At this point I would try to meet some folks who are experienced at tasting PP (and vinifera that we bring to Wis for making wine). ,,, Take a sample to the Milwaukee (fox river park picnic) or Madison (Aug 27) club meeting for a second opinion. ,,, Assuming your number was in grams per liter (1000 grams) I would bottle and get the carboy ready for this years crop.

I am in the MKE WVA group, but wasn’t sure who to ask. I am new to wine making, still learning. I was not able to make the picnic this year. Hopefully next year.