Raising PH Before Long Term Storage

[budzinsk]

Hi Everyone. I have a batch of Petite Sarah that I started from frozen must a few month ago. I just completed the Malolactic Ferm process and I was planning to rack it for long term storage before bottling. I ran the PH test on it and it is at 3.11. I have it in a 3 gallon Carboy. I believe this should be in the 3.5 range before storage. How should I get the PH up to that level? Thanks in advance.

Rob

 

[crushday]

Hello, Rob. Tell me more about your grapes. Where did they come from? And, tell me more about your meter. A pH of 3.11 seems very acidic - too acidic and, likely your meter isn't calibrated or is faulty. What was the pH before you pitched yeast?

You're right, it (pH) should be in 3.5-3.6 range... How does it taste? Is it sharp tasting?

 

[budzinsk]

Hi. Thanks for the quick response. I got the grapes from grapes for wine. The PH Tester is a Apera PH60. I did run the calibration 4-5 times but it is possible I am doing something wrong. Before I pitched the yeast it was at 3.6. After primary fermentation and before Malolactic ferm it was at 3.41. It does not taste real sharp.

 

[NorCal]

I would not chase a number. If it tastes good, I would leave it alone. I think more wine has been made worse by making post fermentation adjustments than making an improvement.

 

[winemaker81]

I would not chase a number. If it tastes good, I would leave it alone. I think more wine has been made worse by making post fermentation adjustments than improvements.

Ditto.

If the pH is between 2.9 and 3.8, it's fine for bulk aging, as the concern is preservation of the wine. In 6 months, taste the wine, THEN calibrate your meter and take another reading. Doing it in this order helps you evaluate the wine on its own merits, rather than being subconsciously swayed by a number.

Keep in mind the pH meter will not drink the wine, you will. I always do final adjustments by taste.

 

[budzinsk]

Thanks so much everyone!!!

 

[winemaker81]

It does not taste real sharp.

This gives me the impression the pH is not a big problem. Among other things, you may still have dissolved CO2 which lowers the pH temporarily.

Can you chill the wine below 60 F / 15.5 C for a period of time? 50 F / 10 C is better, but even below 60 may cause excess tartrates to drop.

IME less invasive treatments, such as cold stabilization, produce less undesirable side effects. Time is on your side, so there's no need to make any immediate actions.

 

[Rice_Guy]

welcome to wine making talk
pH is useful as a preservative, , , the lower the better it survives to old age. Very low pH isn’t the best for yeast farming, or raising Oneococcus BUT if you have already run malo and fermentation you can ignore the guideline and simply go by taste. , , , If you have done malo you should be above the starting juice pH so it is worth checking the meter against other foods to see if it is reading correctly.
I like the line above you drink the wine not the meter. Basically everything is based on having a pleasing taste so you can finish the carboy and make the next batch.

 

[Jeriatric]

fix your pH pre bottling, the low pH environment will help inhibit yeast and bacteria growth. Let's you use much less SO2.

 

[Raptor99]

Adjust the starting pH before pitching the yeast, then adjust acidity before bottling by taste and/or measuring TA. If the pH is too high it will reduce the longevity of the wine.