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The Importance of Acid in Winemaking |
| Proper acid balance is important in winemaking | ||
| because it the flavor and aging characteristics. Wines | Contents: | |
| with too little acid can taste limp, soapy, or lifeless. | 1 - 12 cc plastic syringe | |
| Wines with too much acid can taste tart or even sour. | 1 - Test Vial w/cover | |
| Acids also interact with the wine during the aging to | 1- Eye Dropper | |
| produce fruitiness and bouquet, as well improving | 1 - 2 oz Sodium Hydroxide | |
| longevity. The wide variety of growing seasons and | 1 - 3 dram Phenolphthalein | |
| weather patterns can yeild grapes either too high or | Indicator - 1.0% | |
| too low in acidity. Many other fruits also have a | ||
| tendency to be to high or too low in acid or have the | Desirable Acid Levels: | |
| incorrect balance of acids. Test and adjusting the | Fruit Wines............... 0.60% | |
| acidity of your must will only help for a great end | Red Grape Wines...... 0.70% | |
| product. | White Grape Wines... 0.75% | |
| Sherries..................... 0.50% | ||
Procedure: |
1. |
Using the syringe, measure 15 cc of must into the testing vial. | |
| 2. | Using the eye dropper, carefully add 3 drops of Phenolphalein | |
| indicator to the juice in the vial. Cover vial and shake gently to mix. | ||
| 3. | Rinse and dry syringe. Fill with 10 cc of Sodium Hydroxide solution | |
| 4. | Slowly add Sodium Hydroxide to the test vial 1 cc at a time. Gently swirl | |
| vial after each cc is added (or less for better accuracy). The color of White wine | ||
| juice will change to pink and Red wine juice will change to gray. | ||
| 5. | Continue adding Sodium Hydroxide, 1 cc at a time, until the color change | |
| is permenant. This is refered to as the end point. | ||
| When finished, make sure you close the bottles of solution, as both will | ||
| deteriorate with exposure to air. **NOTE: Sodium Hydroxide is corrosive | ||
| and could cause burns or other injuries. Protective gear is recomended | ||
| when working with it. Take care not to splash or cause spills. | ||
KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN! |
| To Determine Acid Content: | |
| Multiply the amount in cc of the Sodium Hydroxide you added times | |
| 0.10. For example, if you used 5 cc to reach the end point, the acid | |
| content of the must is 0.50% (5 x 0.10 = 0.50%). |
| To raise acid levels, you can add Tartaric | To Increase |
Acid Levels | ||
| Acid, or Acid Blend (a mixture of equal parts of | Tartatic |
1 gallon |
5 gallons | |
| tataric, malic, and citric acids). It is important to | ...Acid Added ... |
....Of Juice.... |
Of Juice | |
| raise the level of acidity BEFORE | 1 OZ |
0.75% |
0.15% |
|
| fermentation. | 2 OZ |
1.5% |
0.30% |
|
| The best way to decrease acidity is by adding | 4OZ |
3.0% |
0.60% |
|
| water. However, this can lead to dilution of | Amount of |
Increase |
||
| flavors and aromas. Potassium Carbonate, | ||||
| which raises pH by reducing tartaric acid, | ||||
| will lower the acidity of 1 gallon of must by | ||||
| 0.75% when 2 oz. is added. | ||||
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