Hello, We are new to wine making. We started our first batch in April of this year. Right now the only testing equipment I have is a Vinometer and a Hydrometer. I see a lot of other posts about checking the acid levels and other things that at this point I do not fully understand. Should this be something I need to worry about or should I just go with taste and experiment for the first year or so? The next batch I would like to make is a grape (probably from juice because of how late in the year it is.) I would consider buying testing equipment and posting my results for advice if it would benifit the wine. Thanks in advance. Tom and Shelley
Welcome. I'm new as well. I started in January. My advise would be to examine what you want to do with your wine. Do you want to eventually enter competitions? Do you want to just be able to brag about what you made? Do you want to make the occasional batch from a fairly standard recipe?
While having the testing kits will help you make a better wine and will allow you to repeat your best batches, they aren't really required. However, if you do have your sights set on entering your wine in some competitions, you will want to test more.
You can't really improve your wine if you don't really know where it's lacking.
Just my $.02
Greg
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A Vinometer (allegedly) measures the alcohol in a finished dry wine. In practice, I find them too inaccurate for meaningful results.
A hydrometer measures the specific gravity and (by inference) the "Brix" (sugar content, expressed as a percentage) and (by formula) the potential alcohol if the wine ferments to dryness. It is an essential tool for the winemaker, although many good ways have been made without one.
An "acid test kit" measures the acidity of the wine. A pH meter measures the concentration of hydrogen atoms, or the "strength" of the acid. The former measurement is more related to the taste of the wine. The latter is more related to the wine's ability to keep.
Both measurements are important, but the pH is far more important. That having been said, if the TA (titratable acid) is within range, the pH is _usually_ within range. Thus, IMO a $5 acid test kit is more practical for the beginner than a $70 pH meter plus $10 of buffer solutions to calibrate it and preserve the probe. But if you can afford the pH meter, by all means get one, and use it.
If the acid is too low, the wine will taste insipid, and not keep properly. If the acid is too high, the wine will be unpleasantly acidic. With an educated pallate, you might succeed in making such adjustments without a test kit, but the test kit simplifies the task of achieving an acceptable acidity level. Final adjustments should still be made by taset. lIt is not as essential as a hydrometer --- especially if you are working from a recipe or a kit --- but it will help make the difference between mediocre and good wine.
There are a variety of other chemical tests which can be performed. All have value, but (IMO) are not essential for the beginner.
At the beginning stages of being a home wine maker, try finding a juice source that has acid and brix adjustments already done for you. For example, some press houses make all the adjustments and all you have to do is bring in your fermenting tanks (or other containers) and fill 'er up, take home, add sulphite, wait 24 hrs. then pitch the yeast. Wine kits are usually pre-adjusted too, and so are the 100% juice Welches frozen concentrates. Once you get these basics mastered, "kick it up a notch" and start experimenting with fresh grapes/fruits that may/may not require further adjustment. Good Luck!
As a beginner trying to decide if this is the hobby for you, you have all the equipment you need. (I would not bother with the vinometer as the hydrometer will do better if you keep good records.) Follow some recipes from good sources like Jack Keller's site and make some kit wines. You will not need anything else.
I strongly recommend making some good kit wines for two reasons. First, they are easy and produce good quality wine. Second, they are drinkable very young so you have something for your labor in under two years. Some are good in 6-12 weeks. When you become serious with your wine making, then consider getting good equipment that will help you adjust recipes to your own taste and create new recipes or make wine from fresh grapes, etc.
It can become an expensive hobby. I have used a $6 acid test kit for years but this year I bought a $120 pH meter and a $100 titration kit, all to look at acidity. No reason to jump into this kind of expense early on.
Thanks for all the advice. I think I will just continue as we have been for now. Maybe on my next purchase of equipment I will order an acid test kit. Shelley and I tend to "jump into things" no matter what we do. We once planted 144 hot pepper plants and we still have a freezer full. At this point we have around 34-40 gal of wine in the basement. A few people said that we should slow down for our first year making wine. I know I need to be patient and we are doing pretty well at not tasting it too often. I usually pull a sample every two months or so when we rack them. We are just looking forward to sharing it with our friends but right now we don't have anything good enough to share. Thanks again, Tom and Shelley
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