1 tsp. Acid Blend??

Question

Hi Folks,Have not been so active in the cellar lately.  Have four 23l  carboysthat have been sitting for a while (2 whites, 2 reds).  Was hoping tobottle.  In all four cases the taste is pretty good  but lacksinterest.  A little bland.  I think a little acid blend should fix.I know I should be more scientific but I'm just looking for a rule ofthumb, and a way to make wine without it consuming my life right now.Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful?  Or more?Example: my Riesling should be crisp, not soft.  I'd like to finishthese wines by taste rather than numbers.  TIA,  Jim

Dar V · Accepted Answer

Hello,I'm not sure how much 1 tsp acid blend would have on a 23l (almost 6 gallon container)? When I make my 1 gallon fruit wines I add at least 1 tsp acid blend. Having said that, I don't make grape wines, just fruit and veggie wines, so hopefully some others seasoned veterans will chime in. Have you checked Jack and Lum's sites?Darlene

Droopy · Answer

Yeah, 1 tsp can make a definate difference.

Joe Sallustio · Answer

It will raise the TA by around 0.02 g/l so it may or may not benoticable.  It's always better to start in smaller increments anyway.Joeglad heart wrote:

Tom S · Answer

Then that's exactly what you should do!I'd recommend against acid blend at this point though because you said you're about to bottle.  The malic acid in that could restart ML in the bottle and you could end up with corks shooting off in the middle of the night.  Use tartaric.Tom S

Ben Rotter · Answer

Joe Sallustio wrote:I think you mean *0.2* g/l. I'd say of some, but not high,significance.Ben

glad heart · Answer

Thanks for the comments everyone. I did use tartaric instead of acid blend based on your suggestion Tom. Not only is the malic an post-bottling MLF concern but I think it has a harsher taste than tartaric, and not an acid you want more of than necessary in a grape wine. I was trying to avoid spending $32 for way more tartaric acid than I'll ever know what to do with.

Point of interest: To my bland and dull 23 litre Riesling I added 1 tsp tartaric acid at a time, stirred thoroughly and then taste tested. I was excited with each addition how much more fresh and crisp it was becoming. After 3 tsp it was good but not quite there yet. Added 1/2 tsp more and found it went ever the edge. Lost it's characteristic Riesling grape flavour. Now have a fresh, crisp "tartaric acid" wine.

I know, I know. Should have done a bench test with smaller volume. Just wanted to point out something I've been learning with additions of any kind: not enough can very quickly become too much. Therefore be careful.

Perhaps sweetening a little at this point may recover?

Jim

Tom S · Answer

Try chilling out the bitartrate.  That may do the trick.Tom S

Christopher Herberte · Answer

The tartaric acid will mellow over time, i had the same problem with a flabby mango wine to which i added too much tartaric. (10 tsp) to 25l. After a month in bulk storage from when i added the acid it was way less noticable.All the best. Chris.

1 tsp. Acid Blend??

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