Acid Adjustment / Sugar addition

I really don't know. Maybe someone has some explanation for which should be added first - or maybe it just does not matter. If you have to add significant amounts of sugar, you will be increasing your volume and reducing your TA simply because of volume increase so maybe sugar additions should be done first but I really don't know if it matters that much.

There may be some other much more rational strategy, but I would (if I were to chaptalize) add the sugar first; the volume would be increased, ergo the acidity reduced. I would add the sugar, give it a day or so, then check acid readings and make necessary acid adjustments.

John Fouts "When adjusting acid levels and when adding sugar to adjust SG, which should be done first?"

It's really hard to offer any meaningful advice without some more information...

What is the wine? Do you want a dry, semi-dry or real sweet wine? What is the current acid level and pH? How long has the wine been bulk aged? If a red wine has it gone through a malo-lactic fermentation? Are you sure the wine is free of carbon dioxide gas?

However, if it's a white wine I would adjust to between 0.6 and 0.7%TA. If you don't have acid test equipment add tartaric acid little by little untill it's a little tart. Then sweeten to taste with sugar syrup in some samples until you get what you like. If it's a red wine and it's not flabby...if it has a good wine taste but is just too dry for your tastes I would just go ahead and sweeten to taste like above for a white wine without adding more acid. It's all a taste thing when you sweeten.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

Here are the answers to the questions you ask...

The wine is going to be a Vidal Blanc - I have only recently begun fermentation.

The inital acid level was .60% tartaric acid prior to fermentation.

I raised the TA level to 0.65%.

I added sugar to increase the initial SG to 1.085 from 1.050 in hopes of generating a semi-dry to dry wine.

The initial ph reading was 3.6.

John - I grow Vidal and make it's wine also. Your acid numbers look good, both before and after your adjustment. Did you grow these grapes or did you buy them from a grower? I ask because the 1050 specific gravity is about the same as 12 brix and is very low. My Vidal are at 18 brix (sg 1075) right now and I'm hesitant to pick even though it's getting sort of late here in the KC area. You had to add quite a lot of sugar to get up to the

1085 starting gravity. This would be a pretty big volume increase and may lower your finished acid content. You can tell by taste if the acid is too low in the finished wine and adjust by the numbers and also by taste until you get the tartness you like. Then sweeten to taste before bottling. BTW, my great 1999 Vidal remained on fine lees for several months during the winter before I racked off and bottled. I always believed that extended lees improved the wine.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA