ph/TA/Free SO2 #s using SC-300

[Vinoors]

I finally worked up the courage to take the SC-300 out of the box a couple weeks ago and tested 1 carboy of this years wine. My pH was 3.88- when I tested at the crush back in October using my $20 Amazon pH pen, I got the same result, so no surprise here. I did take a TA and free SO2 reading for the first time with the SC-300. Those #s were 6 g/L TA and 18 PPM, respectively. I've seen the chart that shows pH relative to Free SO2, and I know that I'm dealing with a technically "unstable" wine because the sulfite additions required to maintain Free SO2 could be detectable. When I saw the 3.88 pH back in October, I decided to forego MLF. I'm wondering if you think the TA level is high relative to where my pH is?

 

[cmason1957]

I think I would add some acid and lower that PH, which will raise your TA. But I am basing that on a guess that the wine probably tastes a little bit flabby. If you like the taste, add some SO2, don't plan on aging this for the long run. Oh and specifically to answer your question, that TA seems a bit lower than I would like it to be.

 

[user 36973]

The pH and TA are very close to where my Foch ended up after MLF. Same for my Norton.

Assuming you are making a dry red wine here. You'll have to evaluate how your wine tastes to see if you like the balance. As a dry wine, a TA of 6.5 can seem a little tart to my tastes but 6.0 is pretty smooth. Regardless, there isn't much headroom to adjust the TA down unless you can blend in some wine with a lower pH and lower TA.

 

[sdelli]

Add 2 grams kmeta to each carboy and 25 grams of tartaric acid. Check again in a couple of months.