Reading the previous post about pH levels and red wine, I've just cleared a demijohn of homemade red made with the crimson variety of grapes from South Africa. I've just tasted it and nearly spat it out - it has a very astringent taste..very sharp on the palette. The alc content is 13.5% (roughly) and the pH is just over 3. (sorry I can't be more accurate but its a general pH test strip that I'm using). I'm a very methodical and thorough person who sterilises all my equipment and takes great care in preparation. Can anyone help me with this problem of taste please?
I am not familiar with that variety of grape or its pH. IF the pH is just slightly over 3.0 it is indeed high in acid if it is a red grape variety. It would not be exceptionally high acid (low pH) for a white.
A few thoughts though:
pH test strips are IMHO very difficult to get accurate or reliable readings. If you plan to make a lot of wine in the future, I suggest a pH meter. You can get one for about $100. My wine making improved DRAMATICALLY after purchasing and using a pH meter. They can be sort of a PITA to maintain so make sure you get storage solution and still plan on replacing the probe every year or every other year.
Astringent taste can be from tannins. Have you made wine from this variety before and what were your results. If you have tasted wine others have made from this variety, was it the same when it was young?
You could put a small sample in a bottle and do bench trials on fining agents for harsh tannins.
You could also send out a small sample to a lab and have them analyze it. It may cost you $50 or so but I assume your demijohn is the 15 gallon size and that is a lot of wine to throw out without finding out what is wrong. Even IF you are not able to salvage this wine, it may be useful information for you in the future.
Some fining techniques are said to reduce tannins. I've never employed such methods, so can't give the details. I believe egg-whites are one agent used for this purpose. If no one replies with relevant info, check a good winemaking book that covers the fining options thoroughly.
If the problem is really just total acidity, then your options include malolactic fermentation, cold stabilization, adding acid neutralizers, adding sugar to balance the acid, or just blending the wine with another one of lower acidity and/or higher pH. Many winemaking books discuss these methods quite extensively.
Good luck!
Alan
Thanks very much for your help Paul. I intend to buy a digital pH meter very soon. This may sound odd but I added tannin at the start of the ferment. Perhaps this was wrong but I'm still fairly new to making wine. Is there any way that I can rectify the wine rather than chucking it out?
Yes, just do a search on removing excess from wine. You will find references to egg white, gelatin and other fining agents. Do some bench trials on small quantities to see how much you need.
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